Officer

California Highway Patrol

9/5/1998

Special Act Award (Gold)

On September 5, 1998, at approximately 9:30 a.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Steve B. Wills and United States Border Patrol Agent Timothy Gorman were returning from a traffic collision involving Agent Gorman. A 1993 Nissan truck was westbound on State Route 98 (SR 98) ahead of the patrol car. At the same time, a 1995 Ford Taurus was eastbound on SR 98 approaching the truck's location. The driver of the truck attempted to turn left onto a dirt road and had failed to yield the right-of-way to the Taurus. The front of the truck was struck by the Taurus. A five-year old boy who was in the truck got pinned on his back with the roofline of the truck across his chest. Hot fluids from the engine compartment were running down and onto the boy's arm. The weight of the truck was compressing the boy's chest and preventing him from breathing. Officer Wills squatted down and grabbed the portion of roof on the ground near the boy. He then stood up and lifted the entire truck approximately 18 inches off the ground. The boy's legs were entangled in a seat belt under the truck. It took approximately two to three minutes for Agent Gorman to untangle the boy from the truck. During this time, Officer Wills, without assistance, was able to hold the truck off of the child. Officer Wills then continued lifting the truck, and returned it to an upright position on its wheels. The driver and the other passenger were able to free themselves. Officer Wills retrieved an Emergency Medical Technician kit from the patrol car, and he and Agent Gorman attended to the child. Officer Wills and Agent Gorman saw there was blood in the child's mouth and that he was not breathing. They loosened the boy's shirt and trousers and cleared the blood from his mouth. Moments later, the boy began to breathe and cry. Ultimately, the child was transported by ambulance to El Centro Regional Medical Center and was then flown to Children's Hospital in San Diego where his condition rapidly improved.