This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
San Juan Hospital in Monticello has 25 beds and usually sees about five patients sprinkled throughout a day.
So when the call came Sunday night that more than two dozen seriously injured people were headed its way, the tiny rural hospital scrambled. Its six available doctors, nurse practitioner, rotating specialists and even a nonstaff emergency room physician raced to help.
"This is by far the worst incident like that they [hospital staff] have seen," said Craig Preston, San Juan Hospital's CEO. "They've had others, but not as many people and certainly not as critical."
San Juan Hospital is 72 miles north of Mexican Hat, where the Corporate Transportation 'N Tours bus rolled down a 40-foot embankment. At 10:30 p.m., the first injured passengers began to arrive and soon patients were stashed wherever there was room - including labor and delivery.
Each was assessed and stabilized, Preston said; some until they could be flown to a trauma hospital in Salt Lake City or Grand Junction. Staff worked through the night arranging CT scans, X-rays and other tests.
"The biggest challenge was just making sure we were taking care of . . . patients and not losing track of people because there was a large number of them," Preston said.
By 10 a.m. Monday, between nine and 11 patients still were at San Juan Hospital, while the rest had been transferred. One exhausted doctor napped in the physician lounge.
"I think it was handled very well," Preston said, adding that it's "definitely. . . . a learning experience when you get that many [patients.]"