A man lies unresponsive in the front seat of a crashed car.

Connie Carson-Romano rushes to help, acting on instinct as she and an emergency medical technician attempt to save his life.

The man doesn't live but the experience changes Carson-Romano forever, prompting her to become an EMT. Now she gives readers an up close look at her adventures in emergency medicine in her memoir, "The Other Side of the Gurney."

After twenty years working as an EMT and paramedic, Carson-Romano becomes a registered nurse specializing in critical care. She shares what it's like to be an "accidental...