Chief James Lane, Trauma Care Patient

From gunshot to surgery, seconds mattered to save Chief James Lane’s life.

Within minutes, the gunshots fired in Norton, Virginia, that day in May were heard around the region. When City of Norton Chief of Police James Lane and a fellow officer were downed by a barrage of bullets during pursuit of a suspect, word spread like wildfire throughout Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.

Shot in the pelvis and both arms, and with hits to the bulletproof vest covering his chest, Chief Lane’s condition was serious and every second counted for his survival. While prayer chains formed throughout the region for the two officers, chains of communication to coordinate emergency care were orchestrated throughout the regional Ballad Health trauma network.

Chief Lane was brought to Norton Community Hospital’s emergency room for trauma stabilization, then flown to the award-winning Level 1 Trauma Center at Johnson City Medical Center, where he had surgery that night. Within six days, he was transferred back to Norton Community Hospital — near family and friends — where he spent the next three weeks in the inpatient rehabilitation unit close to home.

“They’re just top notch.”

“It’s priceless to have the healthcare we have in the area because within minutes after I was transported from the scene, I was in the ER receiving treatment then transported to the trauma center for emergency surgery,” says Chief Lane. “Just to be treated the way I’ve been treated and to have received these services has meant so much. They’re just top notch.”