An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Missouri is receiving commendation from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for providing lifesaving medical assistance to a motorist after a severe accident. DHS has publicly recognized Officer Curtland Sawyer for his actions following a collision between a vehicle and a tractor-trailer near Festus, Missouri.
According to DHS, the incident occurred on July 11 as Officer Sawyer was driving home from work. Upon witnessing the crash, he promptly intervened to aid the injured driver. Sawyer reportedly applied a tourniquet to control life-threatening bleeding from the driver’s arm.
Officer Sawyer stayed with the motorist until emergency medical technicians arrived on the scene to take over care. DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis expressed admiration for Sawyer’s quick response, labeling him a hero.
“ICE law enforcement officer Curtland Sawyer immediately delivered lifesaving medical care to a driver who was involved in a serious collision with a tractor-trailer in Missouri. Officer Sawyer is a hero,” Bis stated.
Bis also praised ICE officers generally for their readiness to help in emergencies, encouraging the public to thank them for their service.
Sawyer’s heroic intervention marks the latest example of DHS highlighting rescues conducted by ICE officers. Last month, an ICE officer in Florida saved a 6-year-old who had fallen into a pool, administering lifesaving CPR shortly thereafter.
In another incident, ICE officers in Milwaukee came to the rescue of a woman trapped in her overturned car after a crash caused by another driver running a red light.