Chicago Police

Chicago Police Recruit Honored for Life-Saving Act of Heroism

The recruit helped to save the life of a man who had been struck by a car on June 30

Sometimes it takes years for a lesson to come in handy, but in the case of a Chicago police recruit, his training helped save a life over the weekend.

On Friday, CPD recruit Timothy Sweeney was honored, along with two other police officers, for his actions on June 30 when he sprang into action to help save a man who had been struck by a minivan.

Sweeney, who was out with his wife to pick up a blueberry pie for his grandmother, noticed an injured man on a street near the bakery, and he sprung into action.

“I didn’t have a tourniquet. I didn’t have a belt on me,” he said. “I asked someone if they had a belt, and one gentleman gave me his. I applied the belt, and got it as tight as I could.”

The man that Sweeney efforted to save had been struck by a minivan near the intersection of West Chicago and Ashland, and he noticed immediately that the victim was bleeding and had a serious shin injury.

“He was going through shock, and I was just trying to keep him engaged in conversation until the medics arrived,” Sweeney said.

Fortunately for Sweeney, and the man he was helping, the recruit had recently gone through “LEMART,” which is known as Law Enforcement Medical and Rescue Training. The training courses help recruits learn how to treat preventable death injuries.

That training helped Sweeney to save a man’s life, and he was honored along with two other officers at a ceremony at Chicago’s police education and training academy for his bravery and quick-thinking during an incident that could have turned deadly.

There was also good news for Sweeney’s grandmother.

“We finally got our pie afterward,” the recruit said.

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