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Trooper receives prestigious award for saving life of suspect
MIKE SMITH
'During a recent ceremony, Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Grant Montgomery was awarded the Lifesaver Award, the second highest award given by the THP, after helping to save the life of a suspect wounded and pursued in Haywood County, before finally coming to an end in Hardeman County.
"I'm very humbled to receive the award because a lot of times what we do is not recognized," said Trooper Montgomery. "It's not so much for me, but to be able to save someone's life and get a pat on the back for it is pretty nice."
The incident leading to the award began when Trooper Able King attempted to pull over the suspect on a traffic stop. The suspect pulled over, sped off and made a loop attempting to run over the trooper. King then fired a shot from his weapon to attempt to neutralize the threat. Trooper Montgomery, along with fellow Trooper Todd Yelverton, quickly assisted Trooper King as the pursuit of the suspect vehicle spanned over winding, two-lane roads and involved traveling through three different counties.
The chase came to an end when the vehicle came to a stop on a remote road in Hardeman County, when, due to significant blood loss, the suspect lost consciousness. Once the troopers arrived, the suspect was removed from the vehicle and placed in handcuffs. With the suspect secured, Trooper Montgomery, as well as Trooper Yelverton shifted their focus from enforcing the law to attempting to save the suspect's life.
The suspect suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm, near his shoulder. The wound caused substantial blood loss. The decision was made to remove the handcuffs and apply a tourniquet from a medical kit in order to save the suspect's life. As the suspect began to go into shock, the troopers continued to talk to the man.
Trooper Montgomery raised the suspect's legs above his heart in an effort to allow gravity to let the blood flow back into his internal organs. While waiting on an ambulance that was 20 minutes away, the two troopers kept the suspect stable and conscious until medical personnel arrived at the scene.
According to the THP, the area where the pursuit ended was remote and it is certain the suspect would have died from his injuries if not for the care received from the two troopers and their ability to use lifesaving techniques.
"I reacted based on my combat training oversees," added Trooper Montgomery. "I went from a tactical environment to a lifesaving environment. It was just training, just did it on instinct."
The suspect, facing a 12-year sentence, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a weapon and received a three-year sentence to be served at the Tennessee Department of Corrections.