ORLANDO, Fla. — Thursday marked nine years since the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub that claimed 49 lives and sent more than 50 others to the hospital.
To mark the anniversary, a reembrace ceremony was held at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando, as well as a private visit inside the club for survivors and victims’ families.
It was a solemn remembrance of that night when dozens of patients were rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center for life-saving treatment.
One of the trauma surgeons who helped save those lives was Dr. Chadwick Smith, who was at the ceremony to pay his respects.
Smith recounted how the medical team leaned into its training to save so many lives when 36 patients were rushed in within 36 minutes of each other.
Smith was the on-call surgeon on June 12, 2016. He was woken up by a phone call just after 2 a.m. and told he needed to get to the hospital right away.
“A lot of fear, a lot of uncertainty, but the team really came together and took care of all of the patients," said Smith.
Every patient who was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center alive that night survived their injuries.
Smith credits the team’s training and the hospital being located less than one mile away from the nightclub for those survivals.
“The proximity really made a difference getting patients to the hospital basically immediately," he said. “In life-threatening situations like that, it makes a difference.”
Since the attack, the hospital has more than doubled the size of its trauma bay to be prepared in even more ways in case the unthinkable were to happen again.
“I think we just all need to come together as a community and remember that this happened, “Smith said. ”We just need to always be ready."
Smith says since the night of the attack, the trauma bay now has between 12-14 beds, a remodeled emergency department and a larger trauma team.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
