In the moments after a driver hit 19-year-old University of Florida freshman Hazel Krauss on University Avenue, nurse Porchia Hardy told her it would all be OK.
The good Samaritan stopped to help Krauss late Saturday night and stayed with her until she went to the hospital. Now, the tragedy is haunting her.
Hardy, a registered nurse at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital in Gainesville, said she was driving on Northwest 23rd Street before turning right on University Avenue. That’s when she saw the accident.
She noticed a car bumper on the road first, and told her husband to call 911. When she saw Krauss, “I immediately jumped into nurse mode and ran over to her,” Hardy said. “It hit close to home because I have an 18-year-old son who is freshman in college as well.”
Hardy said the mother inside her needed to be there for Krauss in the aftermath.
“You don’t want to be alone when something scary happens to you,” Hardy said. “I was letting her know that I’m here, keep pushing.”
But even as she tried to help Krauss, she tried to calm a stressful situation in the middle of University Avenue. The driver who hit Krauss looked young and shaken, she said.
The driver also called 911, and Hardy helped answer a few questions over speaker. Then, she told the driver to stand across the street on the sidewalk while on the phone.
“There were three or four people standing on the opposite side of the street,” Hardy said.
She asked one of the bystanders to help her as he supported Krauss’ neck while Hardy held her hand and tended to her wounds.
“She was breathing,” Hardy said, “I told her it’s going to be OK and police were on their way.”
She recalled responders arriving about eight-to-10 minutes later.
“I was stroking her hand as I held it and kept telling her to hold on,” Hardy said.
This is not the first time she has helped someone needing medical attention in public.
A month ago, Hardy said she assisted a man outside of a Circle K near her house who fell on the sidewalk rail.
“I feel like these types of things always happen to me,” Hardy said. “Last year, the Delta flight crew on my plane had a cardiac emergency midflight, and I had to help out.”
Even with her experience, Hardy said this situation was the most traumatic she’s witnessed. She’s seeking therapy that offers counseling to nurses.
“It was all very intense,” Hardy said. “There’s stuff I don’t remember completely I was going off adrenaline.”
Through the trauma, Hardy said she made calls to the police station and hospital for updates on Krauss throughout the night. She couldn’t sleep.
She said she doesn’t remember seeing any streetlights and had to use her phone flashlight while helping Krauss.
“It’s a really dangerous street to be crossing especially at night,” Hardy said. “It’s real curvy and there’s no crosswalks anywhere near there.”
She emphasized students and pedestrians should take extra precautions of their surroundings and commended the witness’ contribution to the situation.
Hardy recommends people take a CPR or a first aid class and said everyone should be ready in case of an emergency.
“As a community, I want everybody to be aware of safety,” Hardy said, “Don’t just stand there and record, jump in and help.”