Swift Rescue on Iowa Freeway
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican from Wisconsin, along with bystanders, played a crucial role in saving an 11-year-old boy who had sustained serious injuries in a recent car accident.
Van Orden was passing through Iowa when he spotted a minivan collide with a semi-truck in his rearview mirror. He quickly rushed back to the scene and discovered a child with significant injuries to his legs and wrists.
Immediately, he grabbed some socks from his suitcase to use as makeshift bandages. When others began to arrive, he called out, asking if anyone had a knife.
After witnessing the crash, he feared the worst, suspecting that someone might not survive. “I’m incredibly grateful he survived,” he remarked.
The child, identified as Sawyer Whitt, suffered severe injuries, including a bleeding artery in his right wrist and visible wounds on his lower leg.
Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL and self-described “experienced combat medic,” noted that Whitt might not have made it without prompt intervention from him and others at the scene.
Other individuals also assisted during this critical moment. A medic improvised with windshield wipers as a means to control bleeding and created tourniquets, stabilizing Whitt until paramedics could arrive.
Van Orden praised both Whitt and the first responders, calling them “heroes” for their quick actions. He expressed pride in the paramedics who arrived shortly after, highlighting the teamwork involved in the rescue.
After the ordeal, Van Orden returned to the hospital to speak with Whitt. He reassured him, saying, “You have a big future ahead of you.” He also had a heartfelt exchange with the boy’s father, reflecting on the challenges of losing a loved one, as he had experienced a similar loss himself two years prior. “I’m grateful you don’t have to share that experience,” he conveyed to the father.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities reported from the crash, but both Whitt and the drivers involved were airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
