Airman aides crash victim with ties to Keesler Published Oct. 31, 2012 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Senior Airman Ciara Bien, 81st Medical Support Squadron, was waiting for a traffic signal in Biloxi to change when she witnessed an airborne pickup truck going through the intersection. "I said 'Oh, my God!' as the truck flew by like a pancake and landed on its roof. I had never seen anything like that before!" Bien reacted immediately. "As someone else ran to the truck, I ran to the other car. All his airbags had deployed. I helped him out of his car, walked him to safety on the side of the road -- making sure he had no severe injuries, which he didn't. I called 911 as we walked. I then went to the truck that had flipped on its top. The driver already had been helped out and we walked him over to a bench, had him sit down next to his wife (who was a passenger in the truck). Another bystander had led her to the bench. I stayed with the truck driver trying to keep him still and calm until the paramedics arrived. He was very worried about his wife. He told me they had been married for 46 years and they were on a trip to Florida. I kept assuring him she was sitting right next to him and that she was OK." Bien remained at the accident scene while the truck driver and his wife were placed in ambulances and also ensured the car driver was doing alright. Coincidentally, Adam Bond, a photographer with KMAR Industries at Keesler, was nearby when the accident occurred and learned that the driver of the car involved in the crash was his brother. They were returning from visiting their parents in Ocean Springs and apparently his brother had passed him on U.S. 90. Bond wanted to thank Bien for her actions and wrote her commander a letter highlighting her involvement. He commented, "I had begun to decelerate for a traffic light that had just turned yellow when I witnessed a truck fly through the air in the intersection in front of me, just two cars ahead. I ran to assist and only after helping the driver out of the truck did I discover my brother was the other driver in the accident and had collided with the truck. Fortunately, no one involved was seriously injured. "As our nerves began to settle, I became aware of Senior Airman Ciara Bien, who was assisting the occupants of the truck as emergency services tended to their injuries. (She) also checked and double-checked my brother to ensure he wasn't in need of medical attention. Even after the heroic bystanders who had responded to the initial impact had carried on and even after accident onlookers had dispersed, she remained on scene. Only after ambulances departed and she was certain everyone had been properly cared for did she return to her vehicle." He concluded, "Senior Airman Bien exemplifies the Air Force core values in the medical community and the 81st MDSS through her demonstrated service to the community in a time of need. Her actions directly contributed to the assured well-being of three civilians in crisis and reflect positively on the Air Force and its mission. Please take the time to acknowledge her for a job well done." He also visited her in her office at the Keesler Hospital Oct. 22 to thank her. Bien recalled the entire incident, from the collision to the ambulances' departure, spanned a little more than half an hour. The event culminated a very active day for the health services management specialist; she had participated in the "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" 5K Walk in Biloxi in the morning and later the "Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome" in Gulfport.