Police looking for driver accused of injuring 3 nurses after hit-and-run outside an emergency room in Philadelphia
Hours after three nurses were injured in a hit and run outside of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Saturday, Alisha Serpa visited the staff to drop off food, and a card to show her support.
Serpa said she works closely with the team at the hospital in her role with a company that has rehab facilities in Philadelphia.
"It's devastating. It's a tragedy," she said. "It's important for people to know when you're praying for them because it does change the spirit.
The injured nurses were hit by the car while they were treating a gunshot victim just outside the emergency room.
Philadelphia police said it happened around 4 a.m. when a silver Jeep Cherokee dropped off the shooting victim.
The driver, described only as a man in his 20s, then hit the nurses and the man who was shot with the Jeep and took off.
"When I heard the news this morning, it was shock and dismay," said Jennifer Potchen, the president of Philadelphia's chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association.
Potchen said the hit-and-run serves as a reminder of the dangers ER nurses can sometimes face.
"These nurses are going out selflessly. They aren't thinking about themselves. They are going directly out to save a life," said Potchen. "That's what we think about when we go out to help these patients to save a life. And we don't always think about our own needs or fears."
In a statement, a spokesperson for the hospital, applauded the courage of the staff during the chaotic incident saying in part:
"Our heroic staff continued to save the gunshot victim and care for all our other patients even as their own colleagues were suffering and being treated."
The hospital also said it's providing support resources for staff and the injured nurses' families.
"Nurses what they face every day and the sacrifices they make for the betterment of their patients. It's a daily thing and it doesn't go unnoticed," said Serpa.