FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – After a man who authorities believe served in the U.S. Army in Iraq started shooting indiscriminately at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport travelers on Friday, doctors in South Florida dealt with the bloodshed.
Authorities reported five died at the airport Friday. When the wounded began to arrive at Broward Health Medical Center's trauma center in Fort Lauderdale, the staff was ready.
Dr. Ralph Guarneri was in charge of the trauma center. He described the scene as a controlled chaos and said it reminded him of what he felt during the aftermath of an earthquake in Haiti.
"The entire system came together and we performed very well in my opinion," Guarneri said.
Two of the wounded required surgery, Guarneri said. He added that the five trauma patients hospitalized after the shooting had survived.
"Everybody is stable," Guarneri said about 6 p.m.
Hours after the shooting at the airport on Friday, the hospital continued to receive patients who were dealing with overheating, injuries from falls, panic attacks and other non-life threatening injuries.
