By A.K. Dugan, Lebanon Express writer | Posted: Wednesday, October 8, 2008 12:00 am
Lebanon police officer Scott Bressler was awarded a medal of valor at the Sept. 24 City Council meeting for saving the life of an elderly woman.
About 3 p.m. on April 2, dispatchers sent Bressler to locate a reckless or impaired driver in the area of Wagon Wheel Drive and South Main Road. Instead of dropping the matter when he couldn't find the vehicle - described as a small, white, two-door with a black top - Bressler got the phone number of the caller from the dispatcher. The additional information he obtained from the caller, that a hubcap had fallen off in the area where the vehicle went up and over a curb, allowed him to locate the vehicle in a nearby driveway.
He knocked on the door of the home and it was opened by a 75-year-old woman in obvious medical distress. She was disoriented, hot to the touch and unable to speak. He assisted her to sit and instructed the dispatcher to call for medics, noticing about the same time that she wore a medical bracelet for diabetes.
Medics confirmed the woman was in a severe diabetic shock and successfully treated her.
In a statement read to the council and an audience of police department employees and their families, Chief Mike Healy said Bressler took action that was "clearly above and beyond the level of attention generally given to this type of call."
When officers cannot locate a reckless driver in the area reported they often drop the matter and move on to other calls. Generally information is very limited and chances are good the driver is no longer in the area.
"The 75-year-old female victim in this case desperately needed medical attention; however, she was not able to make that determination, due to the severity of her condition. Had it not been for the quick actions of Officer Bressler and his diligence in this investigation, it is likely she would not have survived this episode," Healy said.