Emergency personnel work to remove a female driver involved in a single vehicle accident June 22, 2011, on Highway 99 near Mont... VIEW ORIGINAL
YUBA CITY, Calif. -- June 22 would prove to be no ordinary day for Staff Sgt. Scott Thompson, a Soldier on Recruiting Duty at the Yuba City Army Career Center. He was on his way to work on Highway 99 near the Dingville-Montana Farms when he saw a big cloud of dust on the side of the road. At first, he thought it might have been a tractor kicking up dust.
Fortunately for Annie Severe of Manteca, Thompson did pull over when he noticed a lot of spectators and saw that Severe’s sport utility vehicle was resting upside down in a ditch of shallow murky water just off the road.
When Thompson arrived on scene, the people that were already there really didn't know what to do. "They looked at me like I was 'Superman,'" he said.
As Thompson ran towards the vehicle, he saw Severe, 25, trapped in the vehicle screaming, saying her son was still in the car. At this time the vehicle's engine was still semi-running but he could hear Severe's son crying over the noise the vehicle was making. Thompson made his way through the sludge to the passenger side of the vehicle where he saw that the window behind the rear passenger door was blown out. He then low-crawled on his back into the vehicle and got right under the infant who was still suspended in his car seat. Once the infant was clear from the harness, Thompson lowered the baby to his chest, worked his way back out of the vehicle and passed the infant off to a woman who wiped the baby off and put him in another vehicle for safety.
"At this time I moved back to the driver side and assured (Severe) that her son was OK," Thompson said. "I remained with her for almost an hour and during this time I kept reassuring her that help was on the way and continued to check her vitals and asked if she was in any pain."
When the fire department and Emergency Medical Service arrived, they took a few minutes to establish a plan of action because of the position of the vehicle and the mother. Thompson assisted by letting them know if Severe felt anything different when fire personnel were in the process of lifting the vehicle.
"Once we had enough clearance, I was able to see that (Severe) was suspended in her seat by the seat belt in which a firefighter handed me a seat-belt cutter so I could cut her free," Thompson said. "I also was able to get a C-collar on Severe to stabilize her neck and head. At this time, the firefighters slid down a backboard and I positioned it between her and the vehicle and then crawled out of the way to allow the firefighters to remove Severe from the vehicle."
Thompson credits his quick reaction and actions to his Army training as a military police officer.
"It is engrained into Military Police not to be complacent and to be aware of everything that’s happening in an emergency," Thompson said. "If you’re complacent you can hurt someone, yourself, or in worst-case, lose your life."
In addition to his Military Police background, he has received Combat Lifesaver Training (as all Soldiers do). This training teaches Soldiers the basics of self-aid and buddy aid and how to apply it in any situation.
"The key things when applying aid is checking for responsiveness, breathing and bleeding," Thompson said. "You can’t go wrong remembering those three techniques."
In recognition of Thompson's efforts, the California Highway Patrol officer on the scene said the department will be honoring Thompson on a date to be determined.
Thompson, a Stockton native, is reclassifying from Military Police to Civil Affairs specialist. He and his wife, Sara Marie, have been married since October.
Thompson also competes in shooting competitions on a regular basis and is the captain for the Sacramento Valley Recruiting Company shooting team. The team also includes Sgts. Jason Rex and Keneth Urenda and Capt. Omar Harriott.
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