Good Samaritans help Florida driver experiencing medical emergency

Hysterical strength allows someone to lift a car off their child

When the body responds to an acute crisis—say a family member trapped under a car—people can sometimes perform seemingly superhuman feats. This is more than an urban legend: In 2012, a 22 year-old-woman lifted a vehicle off her father, and seven years earlier another man lifted a vehicle off a trapped cyclist. Yet scientists are still unraveling details about why this can occur.

In 2019, Tesla's autopilot system misinterpreted emergency lights and crashed

A Tesla Model X collided with stopped emergency vehicles on a Texas highway when flashing lights created hazy images that the software could not interpret. The crash injured five people and hospitalized another person while highlighting the challenges of autonomous systems.

Austin Dillon appreciates the nuts and bolts of car safety after his horrific crash

When Austin Dillon’s No. 3 car left the Daytona track in 2015 and smashed into the safety net protecting the grandstands, his car shattered, leaving only the driver’s cage spinning on the infield. Crew members from every team sprinted to the mangled wreck, and miraculously, Dillon walked away.

A 'halo' protects drivers

After the 2015 death of driver Jules Bianchi, Formula 1 mandated that all cars include a protective barrier called a “halo.” This video breaks down how that measure saved the life of Romain Grosjean, who survived a horrific crash in 2020 at a race in Bahrain and later credited the halo as the reason for his survival.

Stranger pays for a family's breakfast tab and writes heartfelt note praising the father of three kids

In Fort Worth, Texas, an Emergency Room doctor wearing scrubs was enjoying a meal with his wife and three children. While getting ready to pay, the family learned that their $85 bill had already been settled, with a kind note left behind. The message was signed by "a retired Army Medic" who thanks the man for being a good father.

Read what it's like working in emergency medicine

A board-certified emergency medicine physician working in the Bronx writes about what her workweeks look like and what attracted her to this fast-paced medical specialty, including being able to help suffering patients quickly, treating a wide range of ailments, and tending to disadvantaged communities.

Veteran pilot guides 21-year-old pilot through emergency landing

Soothing words from Chris Yates helped guide Taylor Hash, 21, through an emergency landing after he learned she shared the same first name as his daughter.

Colleagues carried a quadriplegic coworker down nearly 70 flights of stairs to safety on 9/11.

Teen rides stranded scared horse to safety—14 miles out of burning canyon

When wildfires tore through the Los Angeles area in 2025, resulting in one of the worst natural disasters on record, one 16-year-old equestrian named Kalyna Fedorowycz bravely rescued an animal. She saw a horse named Sovereignty in the evacuation zone of the still-raging Palisades Fire, and led and rode him for 14 miles to safety. Sovereignty was eventually reunited with his owner.

NASCAR’s SAFER barriers help reduce tragedies at races

Following the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 2001, NASCAR changed its culture to be safety-first. Part of its changes were to install barriers along tracks that would help absorb the majority of g-forces in a crash. This Daily Downforce article walks through the history of the SAFER barriers, why NASCAR originally chose concrete, and how much of the tracks are covered today.

See Virginia's emergency stats broken down by date, type, and even body part

This dashboard from Virginia's health department provides a detailed look at various aspects of its emergency care services from January 2019 to December 2024, when there were more than 575,000 emergency incidents. More than 40% of its emergency services were devoted to slips and falls.

Dozens of US women in labor turned away from hospital between 2022 and 2024

An Associated Press analysis of federal hospital investigation data concluded that more than 100 pregnant women in medical distress were turned away from emergency rooms or treated negligently since 2022.

Go behind the scenes of a 911 dispatch center.

'FAST': An acronym to remember stroke symptoms to look for

The primary factor in surviving a stroke is how quickly one gets the appropriate medical treatment. “FAST” refers to the four most noticeable symptoms of a stroke: face-dropping ("F"), arm weakness ("A"), speech difficulty ("S"), and "time to call 911" ("T").

Welles Crowther, the "Man in the Red Bandana," saved up to 18 lives by repeatedly entering the South Tower's burning sky lobby to guide survivors to safety before dying in its collapse.

States are creating legislation to try to better protect their healthcare workers

State lawmakers and hospitals are scrambling to protect the nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers that are increasingly experiencing workplace violence. Dozens of states have passed laws or are working on bills that aim to curb hospital and clinic violence by requiring detailed violence prevention plans from employers, increasing legal penalties for those who attack healthcare workers, or taking steps like requiring hospitals to have a law enforcement officer—not just a security officer—on-site.

Almost 95% of plane crashes aren't fatal. Here are some expert tips that could save your life in case of a disaster.

Hear the story of the first paramedic services, which grew out of a community training program in 1960s Pittsburgh.

Meeting someone with common healthcare challenges can be life-changing

The understanding that comes from meeting others who have similar experiences can provide hope that life can get better, the solace of affirmation, and make navigating a new diagnosis or a rare illness, in particular, much easier.

America's first trained EMT service was established in Pittsburgh's inner city

Watch this documentary about the Freedom House Ambulance Service—the foundation for all paramedic training in America. Founded in 1967, this emergency care force composed of Black men and women from Pittsburgh sought to respond to Pittsburgh's Black community emergencies when the Black community couldn't rely on the police and fire departments to consistently respond to their emergency calls.

There are more than a dozen types of different emergency medicine specialties

This video details medical subspecialties in emergency medicine, including medical toxicology, pediatric emergency medicine, undersea and hyperbaric medicine, hospice medicine, and more. It discusses where these types of specialists may work, including beyond a hospital setting.

See how a 2018 fire in Paradise, California, exposed the limits of emergency coordination

This Frontline documentary shows how the Camp Fire stretched and ultimately overwhelmed the complex web of agencies involved in emergency response, including fire suppression, 911 dispatch, law enforcement, and emergency management, with catastrophic results.

Listen to how medical error affected an emergency physician's approach

Emergency physician Dr. Sarah Gray discusses her worst medical error, what she learned from it, and how medical error and the culture around it lead to physician burnout. In addition to lawsuits, medical errors can lead to guilt, shame, anxiety, and fears of embarrassment, so this podcast discusses how sharing such errors and teaching about them can improve care.

Read what actions helped support grieving individuals during times of anguish

Concrete acts of kindness that buoyed New York Times readers after the deaths of loved ones varied widely. Examples include: friends sending emojis requiring no reply, coming over without asking to clean a grieving individual's bathroom, feeding them, taking them for periodic outdoor walks, and simply sitting with them so they weren't alone. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

'Donation after circulatory death' is on the rise

This occurs when a patient in a coma is on life support and family members agree to donate the organs. Watch this video about a 2025 New York Times investigation that identified 12 instances across nine states of bungled or premature attempts to retrieve organs from people whose families had authorized withdrawal of life support.

The tragic death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. changed NASCAR safety forever

When Michael Waltrip crossed the finish line at the 2001 Daytona 500, it was his first win. But the celebrations quickly turned to sorrow when everyone learned that Dale Earnhardt Sr. had died in a final-lap crash. Within eight months after the collision, nearly every driver wore head-and-neck restraints before a mandate took effect.

Rural emergency rooms are sometimes operating without any physicians on-site

These facilities may not have an on-site doctor at all, with norms varying widely by state. In North and South Dakota, more than half of their emergency departments were running without 24/7 attending physician staffing, according to recent research. Instead, they're staffed by physician assistants and nurses.

After a tragic 3 decades, F1 created better safety measures

The first three decades of Formula 1 saw 41 drivers die in competition; since 1980, only 11 have perished. The reduction is due, in large part, to better safety measures. This article highlights every safety improvement made by year since F1 started, and describes the accidents or deaths that led to the rule changes.

Emergency room evaluations may be improved with AI algorithms

Emergency room care teams must make fast and crucial decisions. They must determine if patients need to be admitted or discharged and when to order more tests or not. Researchers have been exploring how often patients died in the week after they were sent home and evaluating how this and other aspects of emergency care decision-making could be improved with AI algorithms to assist decision-makers.

Six stories of survivors who fell from the sky

Rarely are there survivors when airplanes explode in air or crash due to the extreme speeds and elevation of the craft. Sometimes, though, people survive. Here are six stories of people who defied the odds and lived after falling from a plane.

Hospitals are required to care for emergency patients, even if they can't pay for services.

The Lazarus Effect is when a heart begins beating on its own after declared death

Formally called autoresuscitation, this rare phenomenon occurs when someone is declared dead following a cardiac arrest but their heart beats again without help—making it seem like the person came back to life. Doctors don't know the exact cause.

Read an article about what happens when nurses are hired like Ubers.

The death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. at the 2001 Daytona 500 is credited with sparking a safety revolution in NASCAR

NASCAR shifted to a safety-first culture and in 2002 opened a research and development center to focus on safety innovation. No driver has died in NASCAR’s top three series since Earnhardt’s death.

The body's response to cardiac arrest has been linked to near-death experiences.

F1 pit crews change tires in less than 3 seconds

Roughly 16 people cooperate in a highly coordinated sequence of events to swap tires mid-race without losing the driver any time. Watch a slowed-down explanation of each person's job in the crucial pit-lane moment.

Explore how global teams coordinated by the UN's International Search and Rescue Advisory Group find and rescue survivors of large-scale earthquakes, from preliminary surveys to recovering bodies.

Medical recognition of strokes stretches back to ancient Greece

Every minute, 750 milliliters of blood flows to the brain, supplying 20% of the body’s oxygen. A sudden disruption—whether from a clot (ischemic stroke) or a bleed (hemorrhagic stroke)—can be life-threatening. From ancient Greek theories to modern CT and MRI scans, here’s how stroke science has evolved over time.

Four in 10 CPR patients report consciousness not captured by standard measures.

Nearly every major automaker now offers a hands-free driving system

The capabilities of these systems range from automatic lane changes via eye-tracking to an assistant that reminds you to check your blind spot before changing lanes yourself. Most systems still require the driver to remain alert and be prepared to take over.

Turning a profit with terminal illness

After Amanda Riley was diagnosed with cancer, her social media followers rallied to raise funds to ensure their favorite religious influencer could afford one miracle after another. As more than $100,000 of donations poured in, Riley shared glimpses into her health struggles, posting evidence as fake as her diagnosis. Pulling from years of journalistic investigation, this eight-episode podcast series dives into Riley's reality.

There were 12 on-track fatalities in the 1970s

The decade found engineers pushing Formula 1 cars to their limits. The cars were faster than ever and drivers were taking bigger risks to win. Safety features, however, remained the same. With vintage footage and driver interviews, this Daily Fuel Up video explores some of the wildest crashes from the era and, importantly, what changes FIA made following the decade’s 12 driver deaths.

F1 team Renault crashed one driver's car to have the other win a race in 2008

Using rules regarding crashes that require all drivers to slow down (and often take a pit stop), floundering Team Renault asked Nathan Pinquet, Jr., to crash to help teammate Fernando Alonso win. The scheme worked, but when the team fired Pinquet a year later, he revealed the conspiracy, dubbed "Crashgate."

Freestanding emergency departments are growing increasingly common

These satellite emergency rooms, though not yet approved in all states, are helping meet the need for emergency services beyond a hospital setting. But from an insurance perspective, they are considered emergency rooms—not urgent care. Freestanding emergency rooms grew tenfold from 2001 to 2016.

In the 1960s, Virginia became home to the first emergency department in the US.

Someone suffers from a stroke every 40 seconds

Every 40 seconds, someone in the US experiences a stroke—and every minute without treatment destroys millions of brain cells. This explainer breaks down the two main types of strokes, their risk factors, and how early detection could change outcomes in the future.

Welcome to Gander, a tiny town of around 10,000 people in Newfoundland, which took in nearly 7,000 passengers for days after the 9/11 attacks grounded all air travel in the US.

Surviving the crash: a personal story of burnout

Jennifer Moss founded a tech company, had a baby in the middle of the start-up process, and crashed after months of rising exhaustion and disconnection from a career she once felt passionate about. She shared her story of burnout and the techniques she used to turn her life around and repair her relationships in this piece.

Patients are a part of the progress

Navigating a cancer diagnosis can be terrifying and overwhelming. There is a robust community of patient advocates dedicated to prevention and diagnosis, research and clinical trials, legislation, needs of individual cancer types, among others. See how patient advocacy improves cancer research leading to improved treatment options and patient care.

Feds crack down on sassy highway signs

Digital signs warning drivers to make good decisions have taken on some sass in recent years. No more, says the Federal Highway Administration.