MADISON — The state assembly on Oct. 10 honored first responders who played critical roles after a mass-casualty traffic crash between Monticello and New Glarus in March.
Rep. Sondy Pope (D-Mt. Horeb) presented the First Responder of the Year Award for the 80th District to Monticello Fire Captain Ron Blumer, Green County Sheriff’s Office Dispatcher Meagan Christen, New Glarus EMS Chief Kristie Mueller, New Glarus Advanced EMT Joshua Wescott and New Glarus Fire Chief David Anderson. New Glarus Fire Captain Josh Kammerud accepted the honor on behalf of Anderson, who was not present.
Pope said in a statement that it “was a great pleasure to see these individuals honored for their life-saving actions in a chaotic and dangerous incident.”
“First responders are the unsung heroes of our communities,” she said.
Pope also recognized the victims of the crash, many of whom were present.
Nancy Heimann, one of 10 people injured in the crash, attended the ceremony at the State Capitol with her family.
“We were all there and we were all very, very honored and very, very grateful,” said Heimann, a resident of rural Gratiot.
On the morning of the accident, March 8, Heimann and her husband, Gerald, were in a carful of family and friends on their way to the Girls State Basketball Tournament in Green Bay to watch the Black Hawk girls basketball team.
A semi driver from Fond du Lac, later cited for inattentive driving, rear-ended their SUV on Wisconsin 69 about a mile north of Hefty Road, between Monticello and the New Glarus Woods State Park hill.
The semi driver and all nine people in the Heimann vehicle, including five teenagers and a 5-year-old child, sustained injuries.
Meagan Christen, the Green County dispatcher, was working alone that morning yet managed to coordinate a response from over 10 agencies and many ambulances from the surrounding area, Sheriff Jeff Skatrud said.
On Friday, Heimann was in the hospital with her teenage daughter Katie, who was getting a second surgery on her leg related to an injury in the accident.
Beyond the physical recovery from injuries, processing emotional recovery after the traumatic event has been “unbelievably tough,” Heimann said.
“We have ongoing trauma therapy for everybody,” she said.
Attending Thursday’s awards ceremony to thank the first responders was a meaningful experience for the family.
“This is something that is very, very important to us,” she said.