Boston Rescue Personnel Share Their Stories
BOSTON (WJZ) -- Ten amputations and many more severe injuries. Rescue personnel say they saw battlefield-type injuries on the sidewalk after explosions at the Boston Marathon.
Mary Bubala has more.
Emergency crews rushed in as most rushed out.
"They responded within 15 seconds; you saw everybody coming down here," said one person.
Reports say doctors are pulling ball bearings out of people in the ER, suggesting the explosive devices were designed to propel shrapnel.
"The injuries range anywhere from a punctured eardrum to lacerations to very serious wound injuries," said an official.
Nurses at the marathon to tend to tired runners at the finish line instead found themselves rushing to help the badly wounded, some with severed limbs.
"Some of them were very profound. One woman had lost her leg; lots of bleeding. Some children were involved, as well," said one.
"Just the amount of blood and the amount of injuries but everybody was really working together as a team even though it was chaotic," said another.
Slideshow: At Least 3 Dead After Explosions At Boston Marathon
"I just had to collect myself a little bit and prepare myself for what we were going to see. As a team, we tried to work together and hold our own so we could take care of the people coming in and that's what we did," said one.
According to the Boston Athletic Association, 1,300 medical personnel were on the scene for the race.
