Thomas Lair said he had a lot of angels around him on March 26. It s a miracle I m alive, admitted Lair, who lives in Murrayville, a village in Morgan County, about 12 miles southeast of Jacksonville.
That afternoon, Lair was coming home from his job at Walmart when he failed to negotiate a turn onto Murrayville Road from U.S. 267.
Lair s 2002 Ford Ranger flipped â the dashcam from Murrayville-Woodson police officer Patrick McKinnon s patrol vehicle captured it â and the truck and Lair came to rest upside down in a ditch in a pool of water.
McKinnon, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who is still in training as a police officer at the academy in Springfield, sprang into action and was eventually able to break the driver s side window to extricate Lair, who had lost consciousness and had no pulse for between four to six minutes.
By Jeremy Coumbes on April 6, 2021 at 11:01am
L to R Murrayville-Woodson Police Chief Derek Suttles; Officer Patrick McKinnon; FOP State Lodge Awards Chair Jerry Lieb. Photo Credit: Fraternal Order of Police/ David Blanchette
A Murrayville-Woodson Police Officer was recognized last night for his quick actions that lead to the life of a Murrayville man being saved.
At approximately 4:45 pm on Friday, March 26
th, Murrayville-Woodson Police Officer Patrick McKinnon witnessed a rollover accident on Murrayville Road and US 267 when a truck came off of 267, lost control, and rolled at least once landing on its roof in a ditch full of water.
Murrayville-Woodson officer, passers-by help rescue and revive crash victim
FacebookTwitterEmail
The quick actions of a Murrayville-Woodson Police officer and assistance from passers-by are being credited with saving the life of a man whose vehicle crashed upside-down in several feet of water.
The dramatic accident that sent the driver into a water-filled ditch was captured on Officer Patrick McKinnon’s dashcam.
McKinnon was patrolling along Murrayville Road at U.S. 267 at 4:39 p.m. March 26. The routine of the afternoon was shattered less than a minute later as a vehicle is seen, on the dashcam, going across the road and overturning into a water-filled ditch.
Officer honored for lifesaving efforts
Journal-Courier
FacebookTwitterEmail
Murrayville-Woodson Police Chief Derek Suttles (from left), Officer Patrick McKinnon and FOP State Lodge awards chairman Jerry Lieb were on hand Monday for the presentation of the FOP’s Life Saving Award to McKinnon.Provided
The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police has recognized Murrayville-Woodson Police Officer Patrick McKinnon with its Life Saving Award for his actions in the rescue of a man trapped in an overturned vehicle submerged in water.
McKinnon was on duty on March 26 when he saw a pickup truck go out of control on Murrayville Road and overturn in a ditch filled with water. The vehicle filled with water and the driver was trapped but McKinnon used a crowbar to shatter a window and pull the man out. The driver, who did not have a pulse, was revived by a passer-by performing CPR.