Vacationing Indiana CO praised for assisting injured man

CLOVERDALE -- An Indiana conservation officer is being heralded as a hero for his actions while on vacation 2,200 miles from home this summer.

The situation came to light after an Oregon resident recently telephoned the Indiana Conservation Officers District 5 Headquarters at Cloverdale to offer his praise and thanks for assistance he received from a vacationing Indiana conservation officer.

Deland Szczepanski

Mark Sullivan of Junction City, Ore., told Sgt. Chris Springstun that although he has a prosthetic lower leg, he still owns and enjoys riding a touring motorcycle. While Sullivan and his wife were vacationing along the coast of Washington State in June, he was parking his motorcycle when the kickstand somehow failed.

The heavy motorcycle fell onto Sullivan, pinning him to the ground with his prosthesis and upper thigh absorbing the entire impact of the falling bike.

The weight of the motorcycle broke Sullivan's femur and left him pinned to the ground in excruciating pain.

Master Indiana Conservation Officer Deland Szczepanski, who works out of District 5 headquarters at Cloverdale, was nearby with his family and he immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation. Without hesitation, he went to the aid of Sullivan and helped get the motorcycle off of him.

Officer Szczepanski then assisted Sullivan to a nearby business and convinced the store owner to allow him to use a private room while he evaluated the extent of the Oregon man's injury.

In addition to mitigating the emergency at hand, Officer Szczepanski recognized that Sullivan's motorcycle would be vulnerable to possible theft or vandalism if left where it was, so he took the time to transport the bike back to the cabin where the Sullivans were staying.

During his telephone conversation with Sgt. Springstun, Sullivan said he had not exchanged information with Officer Szczepanski, so it took some detective work on his part to track down the Indiana conservation officer in order to pass along his appreciation.

Lt. Kent Hutchins, Indiana Conservation Officers District 5 commander, was not surprised by Szczepanski's actions.

"Some members of society are currently doing their best to paint law enforcement officers nationwide as disconnected and uncaring," Hutchins said. "Officer Szczepanki's response to the crisis facing this gentleman clearly demonstrates that police officers everywhere, even while vacationing far from home, stand ready and willing to render aid to persons in need."