Bureau County sheriff’s deputy honored for lifesaving action during traffic crash

Bureau County Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Flanagan’s action avoided the worst-case scenario for a motorist who was injured in a Jan. 14 crash.

For his response, Flanagan received the Emergency Response Commendation with a Distinguished Action Bar for his uniform from the Princeton Fire Department. Flanagan was presented the honor Tuesday. It is the first time the fire department has given out this distinction for a law enforcement officer.

Flanagan responded Jan. 14 to a two-vehicle crash called into dispatch at 8:48 a.m. as a property damage-only report. When Flanagan arrived at the scene, he found the driver of one of the vehicles was injured, Princeton Fire Chief Scott Etheridge said.

Flanagan was at the scene with a motorist with life-threatening injuries. He called for fire/emergency medical services and began lifesaving measures to the driver. Flanagan applied two tourniquets to the driver, stopping significant, life-threatening blood loss, Etheridge said.

When the Princeton Fire Department arrived, Flanagan still was attending to the driver.

“If Deputy Flanagan would have not been on scene in the time he was and reacted in the manner he did, this motor vehicle accident would have had a different outcome for the driver,” Etheridge said.