The Right Place at the Right Time: Community Care Nurse Puts Her Skills to Work When It Mattered Most

What began as a fifth anniversary celebration for Community Care nurse Ashlee Wayne and her husband took an unexpected turn when they came upon a serious accident on U.S. Route 33 near Buckhannon.

The couple was on their way to Elkins to celebrate with dinner and attend the dirt track races when they topped Buckhannon Mountain and saw the aftermath of a two-vehicle crash.

“Smoke was still rolling from the accident,” Ashlee recalled. “I told my husband that we had to stop. If that were me or my family, I would hope that someone would stop to help them as well.”

Ashlee, a registered nurse at Community Care’s Flatwoods location, immediately went into action. One of the crash victims had suffered a severe arm injury, and Ashlee recognized the need to control the bleeding. She used her husband’s belt as a makeshift tourniquet and continued providing care until an emergency medical responder arrived with proper equipment.

Her response was instinctive, but it was also backed by years of education and experience.

Ashlee, a native of Chapel, graduated from Gilmer County High School before earning her nursing degree from Fairmont State University. She began working at Ruby Memorial Hospital at age 18, before entering nursing school, and later worked in the emergency department at United Hospital Center, where she discovered her passion for emergency nursing.

After having her two daughters, now ages 2 and 4, Ashlee stepped away from hospital nursing and joined Community Care of West Virginia. She has been with Community Care for three and a half years.

Although her work in a community health center is different from the fast-paced environment of a hospital emergency department, Ashlee said it has given her a renewed appreciation for nursing and the difference she can make in patients’ lives.

“I like the family atmosphere of working at CCWV,” she said. “Everyone works together as a team. We treat each other like family.”

Her experience at Community Care also helped prepare her for the unexpected roadside emergency. Ashlee recalled that her previous office manager regularly conducted skills checks for staff, including a “Stop the Bleed” exercise—an important refresher that came back to her when she needed it.

Ashlee’s husband later shared the story on Facebook, expressing how proud he was of his wife and the way she remained calm and took charge during the emergency.

For Ashlee, however, the experience was less about recognition and more about being there when someone needed help.

“God truthfully had us in the right place at the right time that He needed us to be,” she said. “I’m very grateful for my education and experience that prepared me for that type of situation, but I have to give credit where it is due. I have to give glory to God for helping me through the situation and being able to help the man involved in the accident.”

The anniversary dinner they had planned didn’t turn out as they expected… Instead, they ended the evening at the racetrack with corn dogs and chili cheese fries.

But for Ashlee, the evening became a reminder of why she chose nursing in the first place: to help people when they need it most.