THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 3, 1995 TAG: 9506030316
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MICHELE SNIPE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Working as a computer technician may be Clay Hubbard's occupation, but saving lives is becoming something of a personal hobby.
On Tuesday, Hubbard came to the rescue again.
He had just pulled into his driveway when he heard a crash. The 39-year-old Hubbard was off and running. When he arrived at the scene, a block away at Kennon Avenue and Krick Street, two people were desperately trying to pull a driver, 16-year-old Jake Schultz, from the window of a Blazer. Two 13-year-olds, passengers in the Blazer, were standing by the side of the vehicle, screaming.
Along with Schultz's sister, Amber, 18, and the driver of the other vehicle involved the accident, Hubbard pulled Schultz out of the car and began CPR.
Schultz, a basketball player at Granby High, was having convulsions, his breathing had stopped and his jaw was locked.
``I didn't really think about it; it was all reactionary,'' said Hubbard, who was trained in life-saving during his 16 years in the Marine Corps. ``Anyone else would have done it, too. I was just the fastest runner.''
Hubbard said that once Schultz began to force air back out of his mouth, he knew the youngster was going to be OK.
The accident occurred as Schultz, his sisters, Amber and Annie, 13, and a friend were on their way to a softball practice. The Blazer and another car collided. The Blazer turned over four times before it landed upright and came to a stop.
Amber Schultz said she's glad Hubbard came to the rescue.
``I know CPR myself,'' she said, ``but I was freaking out because it was my brother. I'm just grateful to him.''
This wasn't the first time Hubbard, who sports a beard and has longer hair since his Marine days, happened to be in the right place at the right time for someone in trouble. He reacted similarly in an incident six years ago in North Carolina.
Near Jacksonville late one evening, Hubbard heard a noise, he said. When he looked, he saw red lights flashing in a field about three quarters of a mile away. Upon further investigation, Hubbard said, he came upon an overturned Suzuki Samuri.
``The driver was hanging upside down in the vehicle with his seat belt on,'' Hubbard said. ``He was unconscious with blood and teeth in his throat, and he was not in a position to help himself.''
So Hubbard stepped in, pulled him out of the car and cleared his throat.
Hubbard made his first ``save'' some years earlier when he jumped into a pool and pulled out his sister, who was drowning.
``But that doesn't count,'' he said, laughing. ``I had to save her.''
Following his latest act of heroism, Hubbard demonstrated another of his natural instincts. The concern of a parent. The father of two children and two stepchildren, ages 11 to 14, Hubbard called Norfolk General Hospital to check on Jake.
``I was kind of worried about him,'' Hubbard said.
Schultz's mother, Carolyn, assured him that Jake was OK. Schultz was diagnosed with a concussion and released the following day. There were no major injuries to the other passengers or to the driver of the other vehicle.
Three days after the accident, Schultz still had no recollection of the event, but he said he wants Hubbard to know how thankful he is for what he did.
Hubbard does not consider himself a hero.
``I'm a computer technician, so I help people every day,'' he said. ``I'm just glad that everyone is OK.'' ILLUSTRATION: Clay Hubbard
by CNB