Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen presented four individuals with the Morris A. Miller Health Hero Award during the January 15th Scott County Board of Commissioners Meeting. Citizen William Turgi along with Scott County Sheriff Sergeant Robert Ryan and Scott County Sheriff Deputies Ben Koestner, and Jacob Lannon were given the award for life-saving actions they each had taken during a traffic accident last summer.
On the afternoon of August 1, 2018 Scott County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a personal injury accident involving an ATV in Cedar Lake Township. After requesting a medical helicopter transport, Scott County Sheriff Deputies arrived on scene where they witnessed the arm of victim Cody Colosio had been severely injured. William Turgi of Prior Lake, the first to arrive at the accident, had already begun to assist Mr. Colosio by utilizing tow straps from his vehicle as a tourniquet to stop the severe bleeding. Mr. Turgi continued to care for Mr. Colosio until Sergeant Robert Ryan arrived with his medical bag and applied a tourniquet above Mr. Colosio’s elbow.
Shortly after Sergeant Ryan applied the tourniquet, Deputies Ben Koestner and Jake Lannon arrived and assisted in the care of Mr. Colosio. While performing an overall assessment of Mr. Colosio’s injuries, they observed a deep laceration on his right thigh. Deputy Koestner immediately began applying gauze to the thigh area to prevent further bleeding. Deputy Koestner then applied a second tourniquet to Mr. Colosio’s armpit area to help halt the severe arterial bleeding. While this was occurring, Deputy Jake Lannon administered oxygen to Mr. Colosio. The actions by citizen William Turgi and the three Deputies highlighted the excellent team work that was accomplished to eventually save Mr. Colosio’s life.
The Morris A. Miller Health Hero Award is presented to honor those individuals and organizations that have performed service above and beyond the call of duty for their fellow citizens experiencing medical need. The award was named after Morris A. Miller, a highly respected member of the EMS Community who had worked diligently for many years in the area of pre-hospital care in Scott County. Nominations for the Morris A. Miller Health Hero Award are presented to the Scott County All Hazards Committee for consideration. For more information on the Morris A. Miller Award, or to nominate someone, visit https://www.scottcountymn.gov/395/Morris-A-Miller-Awards.
(Above) Sheriff Luke Hennen presents the Morris A. Miller Award as accident victim Cody Colosio looks on.
(Above) Prior Lake Mayor Kurt Briggs, Award Recipient William Turgi, Cody Colosio, and Sheriff Luke Hennen.
(Above, L-R) William Turgi, Deputy Jacob Lannon, Sergeant Robert Ryan, Cody Colosio, Deputy Ben Koestner, and Sheriff Luke Hennen.
Morris A. Miller Health Hero Award Presented for Life-Saving Actions