19 Year Old Officer Rushes Injured Worker to Hospital When Every Second Mattered

Paul Lyke, a 19 year old officer with the Grosse Pointe Farms Department of Public Safety, rushed to help a sanitation worker who suffered a serious arm injury. Rick Braun was working his morning shift when broken glass inside a trash bin cut his arm. His coworkers quickly used makeshift tourniquets while waiting for emergency responders. Lyke arrived shortly after them and immediately recognized the severity of the injury.

An ambulance was still several minutes away when Lyke made the decision to drive Braun to the hospital himself. He acknowledged that transporting an injured person was outside the department’s usual protocol. Lyke said Braun’s significant blood loss made the decision worth the risk. Braun is expected to fully recover while Lyke is being considered for a public safety award.

(Photo: Courtesy Photo)