A northern Iowa man and two emergency dispatchers are being honored for the role they played in saving two young men after a fiery car-train collision in Kossuth County earlier this month.
During a ceremony Monday in Algona, Sheriff Roger Fisher recognized the efforts of Alex Horak of Lakota on July 14th that likely saved two lives.
Fisher says, “Within seconds, this tragic accident turned into a situation of life or death, but because of the actions of an alert citizen that was simply heading home, he saw a cloud of dust and a train slowing to a stop, he recognized that something just wasn’t right.”
The sheriff says Horak quickly pulled 16-year-old Hunter Blocker and his 12-year-old brother Owen from the wrecked vehicle as it caught fire, putting himself in danger.
“In a moment where every second mattered, he made the decision to put the lives of others ahead of his own safety,” Fisher says. “Without a doubt, Alex’s actions saved these two young boys from certain severe burns or most likely death.”
Fisher also recognized a pair of emergency dispatchers, Monica Preuschl and Terese Block, who were working that afternoon.
“Unless you’ve sat in the chair of a 911 communications officer, you probably won’t understand the huge responsibility that is carried out with every emergency phone call or radio transmission of an officer in distress,” Fisher says. “Dispatchers are the front line of public safety.”
Both of the young men involved in the collision attended Monday’s ceremony and are expected to make a full recovery.
