Heroes Cited For Quick Actions Which Saved Ellington Man's Life

ELLINGTON, CT — A number of first responders and a town of Ellington road crew which quickly acted to save the life of a severely injured co-worker were among the honorees at an award ceremony Wednesday at the State Police Training Academy in Meriden. The Connecticut State Police honors troopers who demonstrate exceptional service in the line of duty, as well as men and women serving in local and federal law enforcement agencies, those serving as first responders, and civilians.

State Police Sgt. Brian Santa, Trooper First Class Timothy Merrill and Ellington police officer Kevin Furbush each received the Lifesaving Award. Commissioner's Recognition Awards were presented to the Ellington Public Works Department, Ellington Fire & Rescue, a Rockville Hospital paramedic and the Lifestar medical helicopter team.

On June 10, 2019, at 1 p.m., Troop C received a medical call regarding an Ellington public works
employee who was using a cut-off saw when the blade kicked back and impacted his neck, causing a life-threatening laceration. Public Works employees managed the injury by applying pressure and managing the scene until first responders arrived. Officer Furbush provided assistance at the scene, as did Ellington Fire and Emergency Medical Services and a Rockville Hospital paramedic.

Santa and Merrill arrived and made the critical decision to treat the injury with “quick clot” due to the severity of the injury and the amount of bleeding. They pushed two “quick clot” packs directly into the wound and personnel on scene continued to treat the injury. A third “quick clot” was added in order to manage the bleeding.

The employee was stabilized at the scene, transported to a landing zone and airlifted by Life Star to a local hospital. It was determined the man’s carotid artery had been partially severed and his jugular vein had been completely severed by the saw blade.

The employee was released from the hospital a week later. The combined quick-thinking efforts of all responders were exemplary and undeniably saved the life of the worker.

The Lifesaving Award is presented to those who save a human life or make a valiant attempt to save a life. The Commissioner’s Recognition Award is presented by the agency commissioner to a person who has been instrumental in helping the State Police accomplish their job of public safety for all. This is generally presented to civilians (non-law enforcement).