Off-duty trooper rings in new year by saving woman's life

Friday, January 6, 2012
Dan Hearon

PLAINFIELD -- Shortly after 7:30 p.m. on New Year's Day, Indiana State Police Master Trooper Dan Hearon was off duty and out of uniform, eating dinner with his wife at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Plainfield.

Little did he know that a few minutes later he would be hailed as a hero.

As 90-year-old Betty Bayse began choking at the table just beside him, Master Trooper Hearon quickly realized she was unable to breathe.

According to eyewitness accounts, Master Trooper Hearon calmly went to Miss Bayse' table and offered his assistance to her family.

The ISP officer then performed the Heimlich maneuver on the victim, which resulted in the food she was choking on being dislodged.

Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene while Master Trooper Hearon remained with Miss Bayse and kept her and her family calm until the ambulance arrived.

Medical personnel, who determined she would not be in need of being transported to the hospital, checked the elderly woman.

In addition, witnesses indicated that Hearon graciously attempted to buy Miss Bayse and her family their meals once everything got back to normal.

Miss Bayse and her family have since contacted the Indiana State Police with their sincere thanks for Master Trooper Hearon's professionalism and calm demeanor.

"Master Trooper Hearon seemed like an angel to the family," the woman's daughter said, adding that "without question, his quick actions saved my mother's life."

Hearon has been a member of the Indiana State Police for 16 years.

Formerly assigned to the Putnamville Post, he is currently a K-9 patrol officer stationed out of the Bloomington Post and primarily patrols Morgan County.

Comments
View 5 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Great Job Master Trooper Hearon

    -- Posted by sierrabloom on Fri, Jan 6, 2012, at 7:53 AM
  • Touching story - thankful for those like Master Trooper Hearon.

    -- Posted by indianamama on Fri, Jan 6, 2012, at 2:52 PM
  • GREAT JOB...CONGRATULATIONS FOR A JOB WELL DONE!

    -- Posted by Michele1953 on Sat, Jan 7, 2012, at 11:40 AM
  • Great story!!!! Need more of these! :)

    -- Posted by John3:16 on Thu, Jan 12, 2012, at 5:59 PM
  • Great job Trooper Hearon! It's great to see stories like this in the Banner.

    -- Posted by natelien on Fri, Jan 13, 2012, at 2:17 PM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: