David Dikes lives in the rather rural town of Molalla, Oregon, and he is incredibly passionate about firearm training. He spent his whole life focusing on the craft and enjoys teaching others. His focus is on safety and preserving the sport. And while David never expected to be seriously injured while training, he was prepared for when it inevitably happened. 

It started as an average day. On this particular morning, he was setting up to teach his neighbor, Adam Malmberg, the basics of shooting. When he’d finished getting everything ready, they both fired a few practice shots at the dueling tree target. David hits the target, but Adam’s shot goes into the rocks near the base of the target. Unfortunately, the bullet fractured, and a part of the shrapnel ricocheted into David’s neck. At first, all he felt was a little flick on his neck. It didn’t hurt, so he assumed it was a pebble. It wouldn’t have been the first time some gravel had been thrown up by their shots, and it wouldn’t be the last.   

However, when he lightly brushed the spot, he realized there was some blood. Assuming it was a minor cut, he wiped away the blood. That’s when the blood began to gush down his neck. It was only after Adam went pale and David felt the blood begin to soak his shirt that he realized he was bleeding a lot more than he initially thought. David quickly pulled his My Medic first aid kit from his truck and opened it one-handed, his other hand carefully holding his neck. While he was opening his kit, he had to make a decision. Usually, any wound like this that wasn’t on a limb needed to be packed with gauze. However, David wasn’t sure whether there was still debris in his neck. If there was and he packed the area, he could cause far more damage than he could currently handle. So, he made the split-second decision to use ZZIPS to hold the injury shut instead. 

Pulling the ZZIPS from his kit, he hands them to Adam and begins instructing him on how to apply them to his neck. David is very careful to keep his voice and demeanor composed because he knows that if he panics, Adam will too. So, he calmly reassures his friend that they’re both going to be alright. The first set of ZZIPS doesn’t stick because there’s too much blood, and he watches as the fear threatens to take hold of Adam again. Thankfully, David’s level-headedness helps him refocus, and he gets back to work. This time, Adam is able to wipe enough of the blood away to get the second set of ZZIPS to stick. When he pulls the hasps closed, David almost instantly feels the stream of blood cease.   

From there, Adam quickly loads David into the car and races to the closest hospital, which was thirty minutes away. When they screamed into the parking lot, they were horrified to find a dark, empty hospital. This one had closed recently, leaving the next-closest hospital Oregon City’s main hospital, which was another thirty minutes away. Adam drives quickly, keeping a close eye on David’s condition the entire way. When they finally arrived at their destination, Adam was once again loaded into a car. However, this time, it was an ambulance. This hospital wasn’t equipped to treat David, so he was rushed to OHSU. That’s when it dawned on David just how severe his injury really was.   

When he arrived at OHSU, the doctors did an X-ray and found that the shrapnel was resting on his carotid artery. He was immediately told not to move his neck, because one wrong move, bumping it wrong, or truly anything could cause the shrapnel to slice into his artery. Because of how dire his situation was, the doctors rushed him into surgery, and before David knew it, he was waking up in the recovery room.   

The doctor blatantly told David that if he had packed his injury like his first instinct had been, he would have died long before he reached that first, empty hospital. Without a doubt, the ZZIPS saved his life. He is so grateful not only that he had prepared for such an injury long ago, but also that Adam was there with him. If he had been alone, he wouldn’t have been able to treat himself because he couldn’t see his neck. Since he had Adam with him, he knew from the moment he started bleeding that he was going to be okay.   

After surviving this misadventure, David has one piece of advice he’d like to impart: You are the first responder. You never know when an emergency will happen, so you need to be prepared for the possibility. David bought his first aid kit with the intention of using it on someone else, not himself. But he’s only here now because he made sure he would be ready for a traumatic injury if he ever encountered one. He is also adamant about the importance of training. The more you practice and familiarize yourself with your equipment, the less likely you will panic when you or another gets injured. The more you prepare now, the better off you’ll be when an emergency occurs.   

This experience has made David so incredibly grateful for the life he has. He wakes up every day and is thankful to see his wife. He treasures every moment he gets with his children and grandchildren. Life feels like it has more flavor. And now that he has a second chance at life, he’s vowed not to waste it.