An Iowa State student had an experience reminiscent of “Rescue 911” at 4 a.m. July 16, when he came to the rescue of three men involved in an accident at Lost Island Lake near Spencer.

Steve Flann said he and some friends were sleeping at the campgrounds when he heard a crash.

“We heard the squeal of tires and 10 seconds later we heard a big crash. I thought, oh Jesus, it’s one of us,” Flann said.

“I grabbed a flashlight and ran down to the area with my boxers and t-shirt. I saw a guy come out of this ditch with blood on one side of his face. He was telling us to call the police,” Flann said.

According to the sheriff’s report, the car involved was a 1987 Chevrolet Camaro carrying a driver and two passengers. The car was headed north out of the nearby campground when the driver lost control of the vehicle and the passenger side hit a tree. The car spun around and came to a rest in a marsh.

Flann ran to the car to help the passengers while friends called the police.

Flann said he remembers saying, “geez, this guy is dead,” when the beam of his flashlight showed one of the victims from the accident. “I felt relieved when I found the pulse,” he said. “One guy had a pretty good cut in his neck,” Flann said. “The blood was swelling out like in the movies.”

Flann said one of the victim’s faces was covered with blood and glass. The same person had teeth missing and a shattered collarbone, he said.

Flann served in the Army from 1991 to 1993. He said he believes his military training is what saved the men.

“I remembered everything from basic training. We used to get trained on first aid all the time. I was trying to keep the guys stable and apply pressure,” he said.

“I used my t-shirt to apply pressure over the wound and instructed the other guys to do the same,” Flann said.

Flann said the other passenger in the crash was in bad shape also.

“The tree shaved off the top of the car so it looked like a convertible,” Flann said.

The men involved in the crash were Kelly Moore, 25, from Ayrshire; Melvin Matthews, 27; and Steven Sundall, 21, both from Ruthven.

A spokesperson from the sheriff’s office said Sundall was taken to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines and Matthews was taken to the University of Iowa Hospital.

The accident is still under investigation by the Palo-Alto County Sheriff’s Office.