HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) – Tyler Upton took a pretty direct route to becoming a paramedic in Henderson County, but life nearly took him in a very different direction.
Upton was born and grew up in Hendersonville. He originally wanted to work in construction, but a taste of learning emergency medical care changed his course.
He has been a paramedic in Henderson County since 2012.
“We have a lot of retirees, and because of that, we’re able to provide people service toward the end of their life and that often results in us dealing with very medically complex patients,” Upton said.
The schedule can be demanding with long shifts for three or four straight days following about the same time off. Upton has another job as the owner of a small tree company for nearly two decades.
That took him into a dangerous situation while on a job in September 2021.
“I made an error in some rigging and got pulled out of a tree by about a 4,000-pound oak log,” Upton recalled. “I went about 40 feet straight on my head. I shattered my spine in a couple of places had multiple significant injuries.”