Nurse saves student's life after freak accident at Forsyth County school

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - A school nurse is being hailed a hero after saving a fourth grader's life. The girl suffered severe injuries in a freak accident on the playground.

"I was playing and then I fell and one of the girls fell on top of me," Jennifer Leon Lopez said.

Lopez broke her arm and severed her artery.

"I heard another teacher yelling for help, so that's when I grabbed the Stop the Bleed Kit and rushed to Jennifer's side," School nurse Kathy Gregory said.

Gregory said the school had received the government-funded medical supply kit less than 24 hours before Lopez's accident.

"I am so thankful we had them," Gregory said. "They were still in the box and I just grabbed the one on top and ran."

The principal said Gregory used the tourniquet inside the kit and applied it to Lopez's arm.

"She was bleeding profusely," Principal Lee Anne Rice said. "When Kathy applied the tourniquet it stopped."

Medics rushed Lopez to the hospital where she underwent two separate surgeries.

"We got a note from the trauma doctors and they said the tourniquet made the difference in Lopez keeping her arm and her life," Gregory said.

A total freak accident, Gregory said, but one she said she was prepared for thanks to the Stop the Bleed Training Program and the Forsyth County Fire Department.

"Because of that training, because of that kit, we saved a little girl's life," Gregory said.

The principal said she encourages everyone, not just teachers, to get familiar with what to do in emergency situations.

"This wasn't a mass shooting, but these things can come in handy on an everyday basis," Rice said. "Do the training. It's more than worth it."

Forsyth County Fire Department said this may be the first use of the medical kits used here in Georgia.

"We are proud to be a part of that," Forsyth County Fire Chief Jason Shivers said.