Second chance: Nearly 10 months after life-threatening accident, doctors and patient are reunited

Thursday, July 5, 2001 | 10:45 a.m.

Las Vegas Fire Department Capt. Nathan Pechacek worked over the Independence Day holiday, which isn't so unusual for a firefighter.

What is amazing is that nearly 10 months ago the odds of Pechacek breathing on his own, let alone ever working again, were highly stacked against him after a car he was driving was hit by a drunken driver.

Last week Pechacek, 41, was reunited with Dr. John Fildes, the head of the University Medical Center Trauma Center, who led the team that saved his life. It was part of UMC's program of bringing together survivors and their lifesavers to share memories and talk about how the incidents changed their lives.

"Nate was as bad off as they come in here," said Fildes, who six years ago came to UMC to develop what has become a Level 1 trauma center -- comparable to facilities in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. The center treats 10,000 patients a year and has a 96 percent survival rate.

"His lungs were deflated, his pancreas, liver and heart were damaged -- basically we had to separate the contents of his chest from the contents of his stomach. His neck was broken and he had numerous other broken bones."

Each patient who comes into the trauma center is given a score for survivability, UMC spokesman Rick Plummer said. Pechacek had one of the worst -- only 22 percent chance he would live, Plummer said.

"Every day now is a special day for me," Pechacek said. "I'm just so thankful for all of the support I have received from so many people, especially those who gave 230 pints of blood, of which I used 70. I don't have any of my original blood left in my body."

The community watched and read news reports of Pechacek's struggle as fellow firefighters kept round-the-clock vigils in the hospital parking lot following the Sept. 17 accident. Pechacek's sport utility vehicle was hit by a Ford Expedition that went through a stop sign at Cimarron Road and Alta Drive.

On June 19 Dorian Geba, a 33-year-old local tennis pro, was sentenced to two to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to driving under the influence in the accident.

"I forgave him months ago for what happened," Pecachek said. "I wish he had apologized to me, but I can understand if his attorneys may have told him not to do that."

Pechacek said things started off pretty normal that day.

"I was off, but I came in to the station (at Durango Drive and Charleston Boulevard) to make elks sausage for the crew," Pechacek said. He was hit on his way home, just a couple of blocks away, but says he recalls nothing about the 8:50 p.m. accident, to which his own crew responded.

So bloodied was Pechacek, fellow firefighters did not know it was him until after they got him to the hospital and medical staff found Pechacek's identification card in his wallet.

"Nate tried to say something, then he was out and we were on our own to figure out the extent of his injuries -- but that is not uncommon in trauma work," Fildes said, noting that of the 80 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel in the unit that day, two dozen worked on Pechacek in some way.

A firefighter for 15 years, Pechacek had seen plenty of the type of tragedy he faced.

"I've seen the faces of so many people our paramedics help. But I have to admit it was ironic to find myself on the other side and being told what had happened when I woke up three weeks after the accident," Pechacek said.

Pechacek said one of the things that most impressed him was learning that Fildes made numerous trips outside to talk with firefighters who were keeping vigil -- people he called "my second family" -- and being told of the amount of time the doctor spent comforting his wife, Lisa, and 8-year-old son.

"What Dr. Fildes and his crew did was above and beyond their duty," Pechacek said.

Fildes said he could do only so much, noting, "Nate is a walking miracle. His personal strength had a lot to do with his ability to survive this tragedy."

In appreciation for the lifesaving work of Fildes and his crew, the Las Vegas Fire Department awarded the doctor one of its highest honors -- a fire chief's helmet.

"It is a rare honor for which we are proud, but we never expect anything at all for the work we do," Fildes said.

Pechacek, in addition to his full-time job, now gives UMC Trauma Center-sponsored lectures on the dangers of drinking and driving. He says that is how he gives thanks for a second chance at life.

"If I address a class at a school and reach one or two kids with my message and stop them from drinking and driving, I may save a life or two," Pechacek said. "That means an awful lot to me, especially since I came so close to losing mine."