An employee of the La Porte Police Department was honored Tuesday for actions taken when he helped tend to a person involved in a crash back in January.
On Jan. 16, LPPD Evidence Custodian Tony McClintock was driving home from work on Johnson Road nearing the Waterford Inn when he observed the vehicle directly in front of him cross the center line and collide head-on with an oncoming vehicle.
Tony immediately stopped his vehicle, exited, and checked on the driver of the vehicle in front of him. He found her to be unconscious. He then checked the condition of the driver of the oncoming vehicle. He made contact with a 17-year-old male. The male was injured, in an obvious state of shock, and stated that he could not feel his legs. Tony stayed with this young man until EMS arrived on scene.
Tony then gathered several blankets from an EMS rig that arrived a short time later, and he wrapped them around the 17-year-old male who was still in a state of shock. Tony held the hand of the young man, who continued to state that he could not feel his legs. Tony comforted and stayed with the young man while EMS tended to the other driver. Both drivers had to be extracted from their vehicles and air-lifted to South Bend for further medical care.
On Tuesday Tony received a Citizen’s Award from LPPD for his actions during the crash.
“He is an outstanding asset not only to our department, but to our entire community, and we are blessed to call him our own,” the LPPD said on their Facebook page.