Brayden Stepper will likely never forget the evening of Friday, March 27.
The Lowry High School sophomore was traveling in Water Canyon when he happened
upon an injury traffic accident.
Brayden didn't skip a beat. The young man quickly assisted the driver
and one passenger from the wreckage before noticing a 15-year-old girl
who was gravely injured.
With no thought for his own safety, Brayden climbed into the wreckage and
began comforting the victim while he applied a belt to her arm as a makeshift
tourniquet.
After being relieved by paramedics from Humboldt General Hospital EMS Rescue,
Brayden then left the accident scene to reposition his own vehicle to
the other side of the wreckage, turn on his hazard lights, and warn oncoming
traffic of the wreck.
Drew Loveless, one of the responding paramedics, said he has no doubt that,
due to the estimated blood that the girl had lost, Brayden's quick
actions saved the girl's life.
Paramedics and law enforcement officers also were impressed with how Brayden
repositioned his vehicle to warn oncoming traffic in an effort to ensure
the safety of those on scene.
On Tuesday, April 28, HGH EMS Rescue added their accolades with a "Lifesaver
Award."
HGH EMS Rescue Chief Pat Songer related the details of that night to those
assembled for the monthly meeting of the Humboldt County Hospital District
Board of Trustees.
"What this young man did was remarkable," Chief Songer told the
audience, which included Brayden and his parents, Jill and Rob Stepper.
"The insight that he had was remarkable."
Chief Songer presented Brayden with a plaque honoring the young man's
"heroic efforts to save a life." The chief also presented Brayden
with a scholarship for an EMT Basic Course through HGH EMS Rescue.
"We are so proud of this young man," said Chief Songer following
the meeting. "A young man like that should be in public safety; his
instincts—his actions—were right on target with what the situation
called for."
Chief Songer added, "He saved that young woman's life."