Authorities are crediting a man with saving the life of a motorcyclist whose leg was completely severed below the knee in a crash in southern Kosciusko County.
“She could have easily bled out if it wasn’t for his quick and responsive actions,” said Sgt. Chad Hill of the sheriff’s department.
Stephen Wilson, 21, of Mexico, Ind., was heading home from work about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when he saw a bunch of cars stopped in the intersection of Indiana 14 and County Farm Road.
Two women from Silver Lake – Terri A. Penrod, 54, and Sue A. Raber, 53 – had been riding a motorcycle when a 1993 Chevrolet Camaro plowed into them as they were making a left turn from Indiana 14, the sheriff’s department said.
Wilson said he arrived about two minutes after collision. He said Raber had a deep gash on her calf, while Penrod’s leg had been cut off below the knee. The former Marine fell back on his First Aid training and put his focus on Penrod.
“She had lost about a quart of blood in about two minutes,” he said. “I knew she was the main priority at the time.”
He had a couple of guys nearby give him their belts. He also asked for something like a rod or a stick. A man grabbed a cornstalk from a nearby field. With those items, Wilson went to work.
“I made a quick tourniquet real fast to stop the bleeding,” he said. “I did my best to keep her calm and keep her mind off of things.”
He took her helmet off, and a towel was put on the ground so she could rest her head. He talked to her and held her hand. He aimed to keep her from going into shock.
“I just did what I was trained to, and I was just trying to help,” he said. “To me, I was doing what needed to be done at the time.”
Wilson said paramedics arrived about four to five minutes after he secured Penrod’s tourniquet. A helicopter airlifted the women from the scene in serious condition. They were taken to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne, where they were listed in fair condition Thursday night.
An investigation found that Penrod had been driving her 2002 Honda motorcycle west on Indiana 14, with Raber as a passenger. A second motorcycle that was not traveling with Penrod and Raber was right behind them. Behind the motorcycles was the Camaro driven by Joshua J. Crawford, 26, of Silver Lake.
Crawford told authorities that the motorcycle in front of him signaled to make a right turn to go north on County Farm Road, and he started to pass in the other lane. He did not see Penrod and Raber’s motorcycle that had begun turning left to head south on County Farm Road, Hill said.
Crawford, who was not injured, had a suspended Indiana driver’s license. As required by law, he gave a blood sample to be tested for drugs and alcohol. The crash is under investigation, and charges are possible, Hill said.
