Burleson Police honor DFW Airport officer for saving the life of Burleson Police Sgt. Sean Bolton

by PegNews wire

In an unprecedented move, the Burleson Police Department honored an officer from another agency with a Lifesaving Award.

Dallas Fort Worth Airport Department of Public Safety Officer Eric Frisinger was awarded the Lifesaving Award from Burleson Police Chief Tom Cowan and a second Lifesaving Award from DFW Airport Police Chief Steve Deel. The presentations were made during a quarterly awards presentation at Dallas Fort Worth Airport.

Frisinger is credited with saving the life of Burleson Police Sgt. Sean Bolton during an off-duty trip one year ago.

On April 19, 2008, Sgt. Bolton was on vacation in Panama City, Fla. He and Officer Frisinger were riding their Harley motorcycles in the driving rain, en route to help a friend. The rain made it difficult to see. The officers, side by side, rounded a curve. The sergeant saw the turn median, but it was too late. He tried different evasive maneuvers, but ended up riding his motorcycle over the median. The sergeant flew over the front of his motorcycle. His head and his left shoulder blade hit the pavement.

Officer Frisinger dumped his motorcycle and rushed to the Burleson sergeant’s side. The officer held the sergeant in the C-spine position to protect him in case the sergeant had sustained fractures. At the same time, the officer used his cell phone to call 911. Sgt. Bolton was bleeding from his ears, mouth and nose. The back of his head was mushy and his collarbone and pelvis were broken.

The officer rolled the sergeant onto his side, pulled his tongue to the side to clear the blood so the sergeant could breathe, and kept Bolton alive until help arrived. Even after medical help arrived, the officer stepped in again, this time to calm Sgt. Bolton down when the fight or flight kicked in and the sergeant began fighting medical personnel.

Thanks to Officer Frisinger’s actions and the subsequent care of medical personnel in Florida and Texas, Sgt. Bolton returned to Texas in June 2008, was back to light duty in July, and was back on his police motorcycle in August 2008, just a few days shy of the four month anniversary of his crash.

Bolton is the sergeant over the Burleson Police Department’s traffic safety unit, which includes four Harley Davidson motorcycles and two Dodge Chargers. The 38-year-old sergeant has been with the department since 1996.

Officer Frisinger is married and the father of three. He has been in law enforcement for five years, all of those with DFW Airport Department of Public Safety.

Source: Burleson