Texas Officer Praised for Life-Saving Action in Boat Wreck

A woman survived a horrific boat wreck on Cedar Creek Lake due to the fast work of a Trinidad police officer, Chief Bryan Miers told the City Council Tuesday.

The wreck occurred late Friday near Key Ranch Estates, Miers said. Officer Ryan Cate and his civilian ride along, Criminal Justice Major Rowdy Miers, arrived to find the chaos.

"They were the first responders on the scene and life-saving measures were needed," Chief Miers said.

Cate found that the boat, with four occupants, had slammed-head on into a retaining wall, injuring all those aboard.

One woman had the lower part of her leg severed by the crash and had already lost a tremendous amount of blood.

"Her leg was about 99% amputated by the wreck," Chief Miers said.

Rowdy Miers took off his belt and Cate used it to construct a makeshift tourniquet to stop the profuse bleeding. He applied it to the victim's thigh.

EMS who arrived at the scene said the quick actions, prevented the woman from bleeding to death at the scene. The woman was flown by air ambulance to a Dallas area hospital.

Chief Miers said all four of the boat's occupants were in stable condition on Tuesday.

He spoke with the crew of the air ambulance Tuesday, who also said Cate's quick response saved the woman's life.

"I'm looking to move forward with a life-saving award for officer Cate," Chief Miers said.

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