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Paramedic recounts devasting injuries and life-saving steps after Oct. 13 crash
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Summary
A San Antonio paramedic testified he found Jose Fernandez unresponsive with a depressed skull injury and assisted ventilations en route to University Hospital; he described GCS 3 and life-saving airway and IV measures, saying Fernandez had a pulse but required full respiratory support.
Kenneth Martin, a paramedic with the San Antonio Fire Department, told jurors he was dispatched to a motor-vehicle collision at 5 Palms and Military on Oct. 13, 2023, and found first responders working on the patient later identified in his report as Jose Fernandez. "When we got there, the fire crew already had the patient outside of the vehicle," Martin said.
Martin described Fernandez as unresponsive at the scene with a depressed skull injury above the left ear and agonal respirations, a pattern Martin explained as "appearing to be breathing" but not ventilating sufficiently. "He was under completely unresponsive. He did have a pulse, and we were assisting respirations the entire time," Martin said.
The paramedic told the jury that firefighters had placed an oropharyngeal airway and used a bag-valve mask to ventilate Fernandez; Martin said paramedics later intubated the patient and provided IV fluids because Fernandez had a pulse but was hemodynamically unstable. "We got IV access on him, and we were able to push some fluids... he was not pulseless," Martin testified.
Martin said his unit treats many calls—often 12–15 per shift—and that while fatal cases are rarer he had prior experience with serious trauma. He confirmed his written patient-care report was used to refresh his recollection on the stand but that his memory of every detail was not perfect.
The state concluded by noting Martin’s observations about airway compromise, skull depression and the need for assisted ventilation; the defense did not cross-examine the paramedic on these medical observations. The trial then proceeded to additional medical and investigative testimony.
