Accountant to rescue.

• Position: Finalentry

CalCPA member Nicholas McGilvray is a first year staff accountant at Damitz, Brooks. Nightingale, Turner & Morrisset in Santa Barbara. where he assists in the preparation of income tax returns of all flavors. However, he was much more than that May 29 when he and William Barbarce were the first responders to a ghastly drunk driving motorcycle crash near Montecito and saved the lives or a critically injured Canadian couple they found amidst the rubble. We caught up with McGilvray to learn more about that day and his quick-thinking heroics.

What were the circumstances that landed you as the first responder to this accident?

I went to the grocery store to get some items I needed for dinner, and came upon the accident on 111V way home. I was simply in the right place at the right time.

What was your first reaction when you came across the crash site?

I was absolutely shocked. When I first saw the motorcycle down I figured I might see some minor injuries, and was not prepared for what had occurred.

Did the time you spent serving in Afghanistan and Iraq contribute to your ability to stay calm and spring into action so quickly?

Did the time you spent serving in Afghanistan and Iraq contribute to your ability to stay calm and spring into action so quickly? Will-unit question I--Saw a lot of combat ii mv live deployments. You learn to react quickly and to put aside feelings of panic and shock. The repetitive exposure to high stress situations like that tends to make decision-making easier.

Do you have training in field medicine? I would say I have limited training in die field Of battlefield trauma type treatment. The 75th Ranger Regiment prides itself on its "Ranger First Responder" training, which attempts to train every soldier--medic or not--in the basic lifesaving skills that will prevent avoidable deaths.

What has happened in the aftermath of all this? Are you in touch with the Canadian couple you saved? Far too much has happened to properly explain. In SUMMary. jUStiCe was served on the drunk driver and recovery continues iir the couple. Many lives were forever altered, but fortunately life goes on. In the weeks after the accident I visited with the couple several times, and. that bond will last forever I think.

What's your biggest lesson...