OMAHA, Nebraska – Just days before the New Year, an Omaha combat veteran and tactical instructor posted the following online: “Staying safe during vehicle attacks.”
The New Year’s attack on Bourbon Street caught some people off guard. Trevor Thrasher wasn’t.
“Because these events typically occur in bursts,” Thrasher explained. “They are contagious. If one person succeeds, another person gets the idea, and before you know it, there are multiple events like this happening in a short period of time.
2016, Nice, France: 86 killed, over 400 injured.
The 2021 Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killed six people and injured 62 others.
Last month in Germany, five people died and over 200 were injured.
On January 1, 2025, in New Orleans, at least 15 people were killed and dozens more were injured.
“I kid you not, like, a real-life horror movie,” Witness Zion Parsons said. “Everything in the car is hitting and getting thrown. It’s being thrown up in the air, away from the car, or under it.”
It has become a harsh reality.
Thrasher is now working to educate others so that they are less vulnerable to similar attacks.
“You name it. “I’ve been at the forefront of special operations in a variety of fields,” Thrasher stated.
Thrasher told First Alert 6 that while you still want to live your life, there are steps you can take to prepare.
“Where can they go for safety?” Thrasher added, “And then some general awareness.” “When you sit down, try to find a position where you can see out into the street. Avoid channelized areas. Find a hard barricade nearby so that if there is trouble, you can get to it quickly.”
A lot of it involves asking yourself questions.
“Have an emergency action plan for your family. What will you do to alert others? To flee or evade, hide, barricade, or fight if necessary. So, what do you do for medical treatment? What are the places you can go for safety?” Thrasher asked.
Mentally rehearsing what you would do in these situations can help you avoid what Thrasher refers to as ‘condition black,’ which is when fear and panic cause you to freeze.