Pittsburgh EMS launch program to have more blood supply at trauma scenes

For more than 90 minutes on a rainy morning in 2022, Shawn Smith was trapped inside the crumpled remains of his car — he had hydroplaned along Route 51 on his way to school, sending the bright yellow Mustang spinning into a utility pole with so much force that it nearly tore the car in half.

As rescue crews carefully cut through the twisted metal to get to Mr. Smith, he was essentially dying: Along with a broken femur and shattered pelvis, he was bleeding internally. His blood pressure plummeted.

It was the two units of blood — and a third later in the ambulance — that first responders were able to get quickly to the scene that saved him, said Dr. Lenny Weiss, a UPMC emergency physician and medical director for Pittsburgh.

Mr. Smith, then 18, recovered from his injuries. Now 21, he’s st