The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

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May 24, 2011

Tale of hope emerges at Freeman Hospital

By Emily Younker news@joplinglobe.com

JOPLIN, Mo. — When a massive tornado struck Sunday afternoon in central Joplin, Gregg Murdock was safely at home with his family — all except for 16-year-old Malachi, who was finishing a show at the Stained Glass Theatre on West 26th Street.

After the storm passed, Murdock left to get his son, who had a small role in a production of “I Remember Mama” at the theater. But he could get his car only as close as Wall Avenue and 30th Street. He ran about a mile through the debris-strewn blocks to get to the theater.



FLATTENED

It was flattened.

“The first thought is that nobody made it,” Murdock said. “Obviously a lot of emotion starts flowing, but at the same time you think there’s always a chance (of survival).”

A text message from one of Malachi’s cast mates led Murdock to Freeman Hospital West in search of his son. The scene was hardly an improvement from the pile of rubble that was the theater — it was a “madhouse,” he said, with patients seeking treatment and a nearly overwhelmed staff juggling hundreds of injuries.

One hour passed. Then another. And another. Murdock could find no word of Malachi.

Finally — after 4 1/2 hours of searching — he found his son unconscious and heavily sedated in the intensive care unit. Malachi’s jaw was crushed, he had several missing teeth, and severe internal bleeding hindered his ability to breathe on his own. When the tornado hit, he was caught above ground while helping his cast mates into the theater’s basement, his father said.



STAFF RESPONDS

Patients like Malachi inundated the emergency room at Freeman Hospital West on Sunday night and Monday morning. A hospital spokesman said 888 Freeman staff members clocked in overnight; a normal night shift carries about 400 employees.

Bob Denton, Freeman’s director for emergency and trauma services, arrived at the hospital at about 7 p.m. Sunday, a little more than an hour after the tornado hit, and was still working at 10 a.m. Monday. The hospital was filled to capacity.

“We’ll be here for a while,” he said. “We are seeing a lot of head injuries, blunt head injuries, some chest injuries, orthopedic injuries as far as broken bones, lacerations — a lot of what appears to be from debris flying through the air.”



200 ER PATIENTS

Denton said the hospital’s emergency department at one point was treating more than 200 people, far exceeding its 41-bed capacity. Hundreds more waited to be seen by the staff, who “stepped up to the plate to do whatever needed to be done,” he said.

Denton has worked in emergency rooms for 32 years. He was in Bay St. Louis, Miss., during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But this tornado was of a different nature, he said.

“This event happened so quickly,” he said. “It’s a major event, there’s no doubt about it.”



LONG HAUL

Amid the frenzy, Murdock and his family found a quiet spot in a darkened library at the Freeman Heart Institute. The family spread blankets and pillows over couches, chairs and the floor where they slept.

Murdock anticipates that Malachi will be in the hospital for at least a week. He said the prognosis for his son, who plans to enroll at Ozark Christian College this fall, looks good.

The boy’s family members spent Sunday night and Monday morning at the hospital for Malachi. They took turns going out for food and looked as though they had no intention of leaving.

“We’re just glad to know it’s not life-threatening,” Murdock said of his son’s injuries. “Once you reach that point, you can breathe, so you’re OK.”

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