MONROE - Though it was the only time Green County Sheriff's Deputy Tanner Gilbert has needed to apply a tourniquet after responding to a car accident, he was successful in saving the life of a young motorcyclist July 2.
"It was different; it wasn't something I had practiced the most," Gilbert said. "This one was different because due to the damage ... I actually had to undo the tourniquet and redo it. However, they're pretty simple to work, so it pretty much took care of itself."
The operator of the motorcycle was 26-year-old Warren resident Maxwell Tynan. Gilbert, a native of Juda who joined the department in March 2016 as a jail deputy, was first on the scene in his current role as a patrol officer.
Upon arriving at the scene in the early morning hours, Gilbert discovered Tynan on the shoulder of Wisconsin 11 in the Town of Clarno. Monroe resident Heidi Valentin had been behind the wheel of a Ford Focus heading home from a South Wayne restaurant when she crossed the centerline and collided with Tynan's motorcycle. Later, authorities found she registered a 0.136 percent blood-alcohol content and was sentenced to one year in jail and four years of probation Dec. 14.
First-aid training kicked in, and Gilbert went to work, first placing Tynan's left leg to apply a tourniquet.
"I went to (Tynan) first and saw that he had a partially amputated leg and applied a tourniquet to that leg before I checked for other injuries," Gilbert said.
Each officer carries equipment with them, Deputy Dan Denure said of the large backpacks filled with different medical supplies for officers to use. Denure oversees the standard medical bags each patrol officer carries in their vehicle. He noted all deputies carry a tourniquet, many carrying them in their vest or a pocket.
Denure said there are also some products that are simply common practice to carry during a shift.
"A lot of deputies will carry certain first-aid items, and they're told, 'hey I can't really force you to keep this on your person at all times, but you should really keep it with you, because this is the stuff you need to save someone's life,'" Denure said. "And if you don't have it with ya, those few seconds could be disastrous for the person."
Tynan had other serious injuries, but the need for a tourniquet stemmed from a partial amputation as a result of the collision. Gilbert said he has responded to crashes within the county frequently during his time on patrol, and each varies depending on the accident. He noted he was glad to see his first application of a tourniquet was successful in stemming blood flow until Tynan could be taken to a hospital.
"It really depends on the situation," Denure said. "In order to save someone's life, keep as much of a person's blood in their body as possible to give them the best chance at surviving and usually you'll place the tourniquet as high as you can on the limb."
That method worked for Gilbert, who was tasked with attending to a man dying in the ditch without any assistance. Sheriff Mark Rohloff awarded Gilbert for his life-saving work during the Green County Board meeting Dec. 12. Rohloff later said two tourniquets have been utilized with life-saving results in just over two years, noting the positive impact of training.
Rohloff added in an email that the office had not had much contact with Tynan since the accident, though he knew Tynan was undergoing physical therapy in July. Gilbert said he has not talked to Tynan.
First-aid training assimilates everyone to life-saving measures, which Gilbert said provides an introduction and identifies their need before "getting used to them on your own." Denure said there are no specific assigned hours to learning tourniquet use.
Gilbert was formerly a part-time officer with Albany Police Department. His deputy swearing-in with the Green County Sheriff's Department was posted on the department's Facebook page, which noted Gilbert was following in the footsteps of his father, 26-year patrol officer Bradley Gilbert.
"It was different; it wasn't something I had practiced the most," Gilbert said. "This one was different because due to the damage ... I actually had to undo the tourniquet and redo it. However, they're pretty simple to work, so it pretty much took care of itself."
The operator of the motorcycle was 26-year-old Warren resident Maxwell Tynan. Gilbert, a native of Juda who joined the department in March 2016 as a jail deputy, was first on the scene in his current role as a patrol officer.
Upon arriving at the scene in the early morning hours, Gilbert discovered Tynan on the shoulder of Wisconsin 11 in the Town of Clarno. Monroe resident Heidi Valentin had been behind the wheel of a Ford Focus heading home from a South Wayne restaurant when she crossed the centerline and collided with Tynan's motorcycle. Later, authorities found she registered a 0.136 percent blood-alcohol content and was sentenced to one year in jail and four years of probation Dec. 14.
First-aid training kicked in, and Gilbert went to work, first placing Tynan's left leg to apply a tourniquet.
"I went to (Tynan) first and saw that he had a partially amputated leg and applied a tourniquet to that leg before I checked for other injuries," Gilbert said.
Each officer carries equipment with them, Deputy Dan Denure said of the large backpacks filled with different medical supplies for officers to use. Denure oversees the standard medical bags each patrol officer carries in their vehicle. He noted all deputies carry a tourniquet, many carrying them in their vest or a pocket.
Denure said there are also some products that are simply common practice to carry during a shift.
"A lot of deputies will carry certain first-aid items, and they're told, 'hey I can't really force you to keep this on your person at all times, but you should really keep it with you, because this is the stuff you need to save someone's life,'" Denure said. "And if you don't have it with ya, those few seconds could be disastrous for the person."
Tynan had other serious injuries, but the need for a tourniquet stemmed from a partial amputation as a result of the collision. Gilbert said he has responded to crashes within the county frequently during his time on patrol, and each varies depending on the accident. He noted he was glad to see his first application of a tourniquet was successful in stemming blood flow until Tynan could be taken to a hospital.
"It really depends on the situation," Denure said. "In order to save someone's life, keep as much of a person's blood in their body as possible to give them the best chance at surviving and usually you'll place the tourniquet as high as you can on the limb."
That method worked for Gilbert, who was tasked with attending to a man dying in the ditch without any assistance. Sheriff Mark Rohloff awarded Gilbert for his life-saving work during the Green County Board meeting Dec. 12. Rohloff later said two tourniquets have been utilized with life-saving results in just over two years, noting the positive impact of training.
Rohloff added in an email that the office had not had much contact with Tynan since the accident, though he knew Tynan was undergoing physical therapy in July. Gilbert said he has not talked to Tynan.
First-aid training assimilates everyone to life-saving measures, which Gilbert said provides an introduction and identifies their need before "getting used to them on your own." Denure said there are no specific assigned hours to learning tourniquet use.
Gilbert was formerly a part-time officer with Albany Police Department. His deputy swearing-in with the Green County Sheriff's Department was posted on the department's Facebook page, which noted Gilbert was following in the footsteps of his father, 26-year patrol officer Bradley Gilbert.