SWEETWATER COUNTY, WYO – A Sweetwater County deputy sheriff was recognized for saving the life of a crash victim on Interstate 80 on January 2.
Sheriff Mike Lowell said the off-duty deputy, whose name he declined to release due to the nature of his assignment with a special investigative unit, was traveling east with his family on Interstate 80 several miles west of Rock Springs when he observed a minivan, also eastbound and traveling at a high rate of speed, leave the roadway and roll several times, coming to rest on its roof on an embankment.
The deputy had his wife call 911 while he went to the aid of the minivan’s driver. The deputy assessed the man’s injuries and cut him out of his seatbelt. Just then, the vehicle began to roll again.
The deputy physically flung the driver clear and managed to get out of the way himself as the vehicle continued rolling, eventually coming to rest upright again. Both men would have easily been crushed by the rolling vehicle if not for the efforts of the off-duty officer.
The mini-van’s driver, a 52-year-old Rock Springs man, was examined by EMTs at the scene, but not hospitalized. The crash is being investigated by troopers of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
In his letter of commendation for the deputy, Lowell recognized his “courage and professionalism” and expressed his own pride in his heroism. “The deputy’s selfless actions were a credit to the mission and spirit of Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office,” he said.
