Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary revisiting the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in the history of the US, Netflix’s ‘Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror’ can only be described as baffling. That’s because it incorporates not just archival footage but also exclusive interviews to shine a light upon not just the months leading up to the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma, but the aftermath of it all. Amongst those to thus feature in this original is none other than Dr. Carl Spengler, who was the first physician to arrive at the scene and ended up directing the early triage efforts.
Carl Spengler Was at the Right Place at the Right Time
A native of Amarillo, Texas, Carl Spengler was reportedly relatively young when he realized he wanted to pursue a career that would enable him to help others. Therefore, upon graduating from Amarillo High School in 1976, he enrolled at West Texas A&M University in Canyon in the Pre-Medicine specialization (PMED) program. During this period, he worked at the Amarillo Club before reportedly later also waiting tables at local establishments to make ends meet, all the while wondering what the future would hold for him. He had no idea what was to follow.
By the time 1995 rolled around, Carl had not only completed his education but also decided to specialize as an emergency/trauma physician, resulting in him paving the way for his future. In other words, he was a 3rd-year resident at the University of Oklahoma working 12-hour night shifts from 7 am to 7 pm, and he found it fulfilling since he felt like he had found his calling. The morning of April 19, though, was different for him because for the first time in his three years of residency, he decided to go out to breakfast with a couple of his friends after his shift.
As per Carl’s own accounts, he, a fellow 3rd-year resident working at the Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma and a paramedic, ended up at a restaurant around a mile away from the federal building. They were exhausted, but they were enjoying their time together, that is, until they heard as well as felt a loud explosion – the effects of it were so bad that it shook even the restaurant and shattered its windows. Carl’s first thought was his wife, who worked merely 7 blocks away from the building, so he called her, glad she hadn’t left for work, and told her to stay at home. While his fellow resident returned to the hospital, he and the paramedic rushed to the explosion site, knowing they would be needed, resulting in him being the first doctor on site and thus managing all the triage efforts there.
Despite Being an Emergency Physician, Carl Was Overwhelmed at the Scene
Carl admittedly ran every stoplight as he hurried towards the federal building, but he could only get within three blocks of it before he had to abandon his vehicle owing to the crowd and debris in his path. He made the rest of the way on foot, identified himself to the officials who had already arrived at the scene, and immediately got to work and figured out a pattern that worked. Those with catastrophic wounds or who were not alive anymore were set up in a temporary morgue, whereas those with injuries were rushed to the hospital based on how critical they were – it wasn’t first come, first served, but a brutal structure. However, it is what ensured that he could save the most lives.
Carl was cussed out by many of those witnessing him work, yet he couldn’t pay attention to them in those moments because he had merely 10-15 seconds per person to make his diagnoses. He couldn’t afford to lose a second or be distracted because this was a case of mass casualty. It’s how he was also able to make the tough decision of letting a little girl pass away at the scene because of the fatal head trauma she had suffered – he knew she couldn’t have been saved, so he just had a doctor stay with her until her last breath. This is the one death he knew even then would haunt him for the rest of his life, but he couldn’t stop because there were people in the building, too. Despite coming off a 12-hour shift, he stayed at the blown-up building for as long as possible, helping countless individuals.
Carl Spengler is a Man of Many Hats
As a trauma specialist through and through, it wasn’t unique for Carl to treat strange or merciless injuries, but the day of April 19, 1995, is forever etched in his mind owing to just how brutal it all was. He does indeed regret some of the decisions he had to make that day, but he also concedes it taught him a lot about humanity and eventually even made him a better emergency doctor. In fact, this experience enabled him to see he could do more, seemingly driving him to serve/volunteer in different hospitals and situations over the years, some of which even took him across the world. Yet, by 2023, he realized it was time for him to step back, so he officially retired after 25 years of service.
However, instead of leading a quiet life as a retiree, Carl chose to take up a second career – he evolved into a licensed real estate agent before landing a spot under the banner of Chinowth & Cohen Realtors. He believes his experience as a physician gives him a massive advantage in this field because he learned to form deep connections with people as a part of his training, and real estate is essentially about clients. Therefore, today, in his mid-60s, it appears as if the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, resident proudly serves as a realtor specializing in residential properties across the Tulsa and Wagoner counties.
Coming to Carl’s personal standing, he appears to be a happily married father as well as a grandfather. So, whenever he is not working these days, he seems to be devoting himself to his growing family. He apparently has 3 sons and is extremely close to all of them, so when he welcomed his first grandchild in 2019, he quipped that if he knew how much fun they “were, I’d had them first.” It’s also imperative to note that this doctor-turned-realtor is a travel enthusiast, a gym buff, a CrossFit athlete, and an adventure sports lover. Not only has he lived, worked, or traveled to places like St. Croix in the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico, and Utah in the past few years, but he was also ranked #203 in the CrossFit world in his age group in 2015. In other words, it seems like the animal lover is perfectly content with his life, which is all that matters in the long run.
Read More: Renee Moore: Where is the Mom of an OKC Bombing Victim Now?
