Seymour police sergeant receives award from American Red Cross

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The 120 seconds that Sgt. Brandon White administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the unresponsive toddler in the back of his police cruiser might have proven the difference between life and death.

Around 8 p.m. Aug. 13, 2017, White and Officer Seth Sage were dispatched to a call in the 600 block of West Second Street in Seymour.

While visiting with the caller, officers heard a scream come from a nearby residence for help.

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The two went to the home and found a 22-month-old, Maddex “Maddie” Elicio, not breathing.

The boy had gotten out of the house when the back door was accidentally left opened by older siblings and fell into the family’s pool.

White grabbed the child, ran to his vehicle and performed CPR while Sage drove the three to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour, where he was airlifted to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis.

Elicio went without oxygen for eight to 10 minutes and because of it has severe brain damage.

However, without the help of White and Sage, the situation could have turned fatal.

“I knew that the care I could provide on scene wasn’t going to be enough,” White said. “I scooped the child up, and we took off running to my car. We unlocked the car, and I jumped in the back seat, and Officer Sage drove. We raced from Second Street and got over to the hospital. From the time I put my hand on the child and got to the hospital, it was about 2 minutes. I provided care the entire time on our way over.”

On Tuesday at the Community Foundation of Jackson County in Seymour, White was recognized with the Red Cross Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders during a Jackson County United Way meeting.

According to a news release, the Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders is the highest award given by the American Red Cross to individuals or a group of individuals who save or sustain a life using skills learned in a Red Cross training services course.

“The recognition, as an individual, is nice,” White said. “The thing is that this happens every single day. It’s nice that there’s recognition out there for individuals to receive these awards, but there are acts like this that happen every day that go unrecognized. I really do appreciate it, though.”

Donna Colón, executive director of the American Red Cross Indiana southeast chapter, presented the award to White, who was joined by friends and family.

Colón said the award has roots going back as far as 1911. She also called White’s actions heroic during the presentation.

“Regardless of when and where they occur, emergency situations usually have one thing in common: A group of people standing around staring at a victim wondering who should act and trying to remember what to do,” Colón said.

“That is until a hero emerges from the crowd,” she said. “What is a hero? The consensus is that a hero is a person that is admired for achievements and noble qualities. A hero is someone who shows great courage, a person who is idolized for outstanding achievements. I think saving lives, without question, fits all three of those.”

Colón said 503 individuals, who have saved 233 lives, have received the award worldwide.

Dan Mullins, a family friend and former teacher of White, nominated the officer for the accolade.

White, 36, worked for his hometown police department in Salem for four years before getting hired by the Seymour Police Department in 2008.

He said he has held a CPR certification for the past 20 years, and he teaches the CPR class to all SPD officers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 people die from unintentional drowning every day. Of those, two are children age 14 or younger.

Drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States, and one in five people who die from drowning are 14 or younger, according to the CDC.

For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.

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