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SALT LAKE CITY — A part-time Gold Cross paramedic is thankful to be alive after being crushed by a rolling minivan.
"To be honest, I thought I was dead."
Denny Greenhalgh has been a paramedic for decades and is no stranger to being injured. Still, he believes what happened on Tuesday near 5600 West and 3120 South in West Valley City should have killed him.
"I was thinking, ‘This is not going to turn out good. This is the end,'" Greenhalgh said.
He remembers most of what happened: While transporting an injured child to Primary Children's Medical Center, he was flagged down by people wanting him to help Jesus Lemus, who was slumped over in the driver's seat of a minivan. When Greenhalgh opened the door, Lemus woke up.
"He says, ‘I've got to go.' I'm thinking, ‘I don't want you to go, dude, you're not all there,'" Greenhalgh said.
I was thinking, 'This is not going to turn out good. This is the end.'
–Denny Greenhalgh
Trying to keep Lemus from driving away, Greenhalgh reached inside to attempt to put the vehicle into park or neutral. But, Lemus sped off.
"I'm stuck there. My feet are on the ground. I've got my hand on the steering wheel. I'm hanging on to the door frame and he's driving foot to the floor."
As they were moving, Greenhalgh saw a car approaching them. He grabbed the steering wheel and turned it to keep them from crashing head-on.
"I don't know what we hit, because, the next thing I know, I'm airborne," he said.
Greenhalgh landed on his backside on what he thinks was the sidewalk. Meanwhile, the van was rolling toward him.
"I can remember it got dark for a second and that's when the minivan rolled over on top of me." He added, "Suddenly, I'm having a hard time breathing because it crushed my chest. All but two ribs are broken."
Luckily, two other medic crews were nearby and helped Greenhalgh. In all, he has many broken ribs, a shattered vertebrae and a broken sacrum. Plus, he has serious bruises all over him, and back spasms are causing him severe pain.
"Each one of those almost brings tears to your eyes."
I can remember it got dark for a second and that's when the minivan rolled over on top of me. Suddenly, I'm having a hard time breathing because it crushed my chest. All but two ribs are broken.
–Denny Greenhalgh
He said his pain was so intense, on a scale of one to ten, he rated it at an 11 when he was first treated. Even with several pain medications coursing through his body, he still rates it at an eight.
Greenhalgh's sons drove in from Orange County, Calif., as soon as they heard what happened. His son Wesley said he was panicking about his father all through their drive up here.
"If a car rolls over somebody, you immediately think of the worst," Wesley said. "Luckily, he's still here. That makes him my superhero."
Despite the fractures and the pain, Denny Greenhalgh is in surprisingly high spirits. "In hindsight, I look back at it and think, ‘This is pretty cool because a minivan rolled over me, and I'm still here.'" He added, "Two of the other guys said, ‘Dude, that should have crushed you like a grape.'"
He's upset that his injuries may force him to retire from working for Gold Cross. But, he said he still has a big bucket list of things he'd like to do. He wants to motorcycle with his sons through Alaska, visit the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia and he said he has a new grandchild that he wants to spoil.
Jesus Lemus was taken to the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of DUI and hit-and-run.
