BROWN COUNTY, Ind. — An off-duty Indiana trooper was in the right place at the right time Saturday.
Trooper Matt Hatchett was driving home in his Indiana State Police patrol vehicle just before 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14 when he was flagged down by a group of motorcyclists on Sunset Drive near Sweetwater Lake in Brown County.
The group asked the trooper for help and pointed to a woman who had crashed her motorcycle and was lying in the grass off the side of the road. Indiana State Police said she was struggling with her injuries and losing consciousness.
Hatchett, who's been a trooper for nearly four years, grabbed his medical gear and began assessing her injuries. She had severe damage to one of her lower legs which was causing heavy bleeding.
Hatchett applied a tourniquet to her leg to stop the bleeding and she was later flown to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment. ISP said the tourniquet Hatchett applied may have saved her life.
“Even though he was off-duty, Trooper Hatchett put his training into action without hesitation," said ISP Sgt. Greg Day. "His efforts no doubt saved a life. Our thoughts are certainly with the crash victim and her family.”
The crash is being investigated by the Brown County Sheriff's Office.
