(KXLG)- A Webster Police Officer has been recognized by the Day County Sheriff’s Office for his actions which helped save the life of a semi driver during a Dec. 23 blizzard in northeastern South Dakota.
Officer Dylan Collins had just come on-duty at 6am when he was dispatched to the crash on Highway 12 west of Webster.
Winds in excess of 50 mph that morning limited visibility and delayed Collins’ response to the scene.
Collins says he arrived on-scene just as dispatch advised him they’d lost phone contact with the driver. After finding a safe location to park his patrol car, Collins got out and said he could hear someone yelling for help.
After the initial shock, Collins– who was wearing full-duty gear including his gun belt and body armor– became focused on getting himself out of the water, which was about six feet deep.
After getting the semi driver out, the man fell to his knees.
Collins says he’s thankful to have been in the right place to help the man. He’s a 2016 graduate of the Law Enforcement Program at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown.
Photo from Day County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page
From the family of Steve Hooper We can’t thank you enough for saving our loved one my husband kids dad and Big Papa.We need more heroes in the world like you. God bless you and protect you Thank you Tammy Hooper
The truck driver Ifficer Collins said that day is a friend of mine and want to Thank him again for an outstanding selfless job.