PORT ALLEN — In January, a man who crashed his bike while riding along the levee in West Baton Rouge Parish was rescued by West Baton Rouge EMS paramedics. 

At Thursday's West Baton Rouge Parish Council meeting, Randy Steil and his wife thanked the West Baton Rouge EMS team that allowed the crash to be a story of triumph instead of a life-changing tragedy. 

Steil's shirt got caught in his bike's gears, throwing him to the ground and leaving him disoriented. Eventually, the EMS team arrived, assessed his injuries, immobilized him and transported him to a hospital in East Baton Rouge for emergency care.

"Had he not been immobilized, had they been late, had he tried to rise, the story would be very different today," she said. 

Steil is now confined to a neck brace while recovering from an injury to his vertebra. 

"To the dedicated men and women of West Baton Rouge EMS, especially to those who responded to that call, thank you. Every shift, you answer emergency calls not knowing what you’re about to face but knowing that someone’s worst day has become your responsibility as a team. Your compassion, skill, and commitment give families hope when they need it most," the parish council said in a statement.