Trooper, DOC supervisor, save choking man on U.S. 40

Perhaps the most interesting traffic incident of the weekend had nothing to do with weather or traffic, but a medical emergency.

At 2:50 p.m. Friday, ISP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Trooper Yan Dravigne was flagged down in the westbound lanes of U.S. 40 near County Road 300 East.

A passerby, Indiana Department of Correction Supervisor Kevin Orme, noticed a 2002 Dodge pickup stalled in the roadwayon westbound U.S. 40.

As Orme approached the truck, he noticed the driver appeared to be unresponsive and the doors were locked.

Orme then flagged over Dravigne, who was patrolling nearby.

As Dravigne approached the vehicle, he too noticed the driver’s condition.

Suddenly, the truck accelerated and drove off the north side of U.S. 40 into a mailbox.

Dravigne and Orme followed the vehicle on foot, at which point Dravigne then utilized his collapsible baton to break out the passenger side window of the truck to unlock the doors and then enter the cab area.

The trooper quickly diagnosed the man as appearing to be seizing and choking. Dravigne cleared the victim’s airway of a large amount of chewing tobacco and then he and Orme maintained medical first aid until arrival of Putnam County Operation Life paramedics.

Steven Hornback, 43, of Lafayette, was transported to Putnam County Hospital for treatment.

The Cloverdale Fire Department assisted at the scene.