RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WGNS) - State officials are honoring local emergency workers for their extraordinary clinical skills and teamwork during two life-saving emergency responses. The state presented awards to multiple Rutherford County Emergency Medical Service team members for their actions during two separate incidents in 2025.
Shift Commander Wendy Lampley and Paramedic Jeremy Coleman received a prestigious state award for exceptional interagency trauma response and patient survival. Their award stems from a devastating motor vehicle collision on April 22, 2025. The crash left driver Crystal Lane with catastrophic injuries and caused her to go into traumatic cardiac arrest.
Responders from Rutherford County 911, Murfreesboro Fire Rescue, and Vanderbilt LifeFlight worked together during a prolonged vehicle extrication. Lane had no pulse for 24 minutes. During that time, emergency crews performed continuous advanced interventions, including rapid airway management, blood transfusions, and thoracostomies. Their quick actions restarted Lane's heart before air medical teams flew her to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After extensive surgeries and rehabilitation, Lane has returned to independent daily life and is preparing to go back to work.
The state also issued the Outstanding Achievement in Maternal and Neonatal Emergency Response Award to Paramedic Kayla Harney, Paramedic Marguette Allen, Paramedic James Wilson, and Shift Captain Joseph Shannon. Medic 7, Medic 6, and Medic 22 responded alongside the Smyrna Fire Department and Smyrna Police Department to a childbirth emergency on July 22, 2025.
An initial routine maternity call quickly escalated when 18-year-old mother Ke’Asia Britton went into labor and her newborn son, Korey, suffered a neonatal cardiac arrest. Responders arrived to find the infant unresponsive, pulseless, and cyanotic after the unexpected home delivery. Crews immediately started advanced resuscitation, which included chest compressions, airway management, and placing an intraosseous line into the infant's tibia. The highly technical procedure successfully restored the baby's heart rate and breathing. Doctors stabilized baby Korey at Stonecrest Medical Center before transferring him to NICU care for an extraordinary recovery. Responders also stayed in contact to support the young mother and her family well after the emergency ended.
Rutherford County EMS Director Brian Gaither says he is incredibly proud of his team members and the work they perform every day. Gaither notes that these awards reflect the true professionalism and compassion found throughout the entire department.
