KAPAA, Hawaii — On Thursday, Hawaii’s governor, who is also a doctor, helped a man ejected from the back of a pickup truck, marking the third time in the past month he has aided someone in need of medical attention.

What You Need To Know

  • Hawaii Gov. Josh Green assisted a 25-year-old who was sitting in a chair in the bed of a pickup truck when he was ejected, hitting his head on the pavement 

  • While waiting for EMS, Green performed a neurological assessment, checked the man’s respiratory status, and calmed him and his family members

  • The governor encouraged people to wear seat belts and not ride in the back of a pickup truck

At the time, Gov. Josh Green was a passenger in a vehicle headed to a bill signing event in Haena. While the governor’s vehicle was moving through rush-hour traffic in Kapaa, a 25-year-old Kauai man sitting in a chair in the bed of a pickup truck was ejected. Green witnessed the man hitting his head on the road, as his vehicle was right behind the pickup truck, according to a statement from the governor’s Director of Communications Makana McClellan.

Green said the man was knocked unconscious from his fall on the pavement. The governor and his team called 911. They also helped carry the man away from the road. While waiting for Emergency Medical Services, Green performed a neurological assessment, checked the man’s respiratory status, and calmed him and his family members.

EMS arrived within 10 minutes. 

“The man appeared to have a concussion and possibly some rib injuries,” said McClellan.  

The governor encouraged people to wear seat belts and not ride in the back of a pickup truck.

“Young people should never be in the back of a pickup truck. I would prefer that nobody ride in a truck bed, because people need to be belted in,” said Green. 

Before entering politics, Green was an emergency room doctor on Hawaii Island. By law, the governor of Hawaii can only hold one job, so he stepped away from his medical practice. However, he still has an active medical license, according to the governor’s office.

The governor’s office also said Green is the only active physician governor in the U.S. They do not have information on how many governors in the U.S. may have been trained as doctors. 

Thursday’s incident was the third time the governor used his medical knowledge to help people in need in the past month. The first time was on May 18, when he was driving in Waikoloa on Hawaii Island and saw a vehicle crash and flip over.

The governor and several other bystanders pulled over and assisted the man in the car as emergency services headed to the scene. The man was transported to the hospital in stable condition and his family later told the governor’s office that he is doing fine.

The second time was on Memorial Day. Green jumped down from the stage at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe to help when a 46-year-old woman experienced respiratory distress and began to lose consciousness.

He opened her airway, and she was well within a few minutes.

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.

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