Trooper rewarded for heroism
Trooper rewarded for heroism
CRESTVIEW — Sometimes things happen for a reason.
On Christmas Eve, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper William Tiller debated patrolling Interstate 10 or heading farther north. He decided to see if anything was happening on the highway. Once on I-10, Tiller realized his patrol car litter can needed emptying. He turned into the eastbound rest area near Crestview and dumped his refuse into a trash can.
As he was leaving, a routine patrol suddenly changed and earned Tiller the American Police Hall of Fame Lifesaving Award on Thursday.
A pickup truck driving the wrong way on the rest area’s exit ramp caught Tiller’s attention. When he approached the truck to investigate, Tiller found a frantic family with a child in distress.
“When I looked at the child, there was obviously something wrong,” Tiller said. “The child was obviously having problems breathing.”
Two-year-old Kelvin Reed of Milton was traveling with his family for Christmas when he accidentally swallowed a sibling’s medicine.
“His respiratory system just shut down,” Tiller said. “He was just convulsing.”
Tiller administered rescue-breathing techniques on the boy until emergency medical crews arrived.
“He actually saved the little boy’s life,” said Dennis Wise, a 35-year law enforcement veteran and president of the American Federation of Police and Concerned Citizens.
On Thursday, Wise presented Tiller with the Lifesaving Award at a ceremony at the FHP barracks in Crestview.
With his wife, Michele, at his side, Tiller’s 6-year-old son, Frank, pinned the cross on his father’s chest. Frank said he was “proud because he’s my daddy.”
Thanks to Tiller’s quick action, Kelvin Reed not only got to celebrate Christmas but turned 3 years old Dec. 29.
“You hear people say your training takes over,” Tiller said modestly of his instinctive Christmas Eve heroism. “That was certainly true in this case.”