Caller honored for directing mountain rescue
Submitted on June 15, 2000 - 12:00am.
Brian Holman - Summer 2000
WASHINGTON _ From now on, Lee Presser and his 11-year-old son, Shawn, might include a wireless phone with their hiking equipment.
The Pressers, from Glen Carbon, Ill., took a break from their cross-country trip and stopped in Georgetown, Colo., for a hike. As they climbed up Saxon Mountain, pebbles and mud replaced the firm rocks below. Presser fell and collided with his son. Both fell 30 feet.
‘‘I tore open my head and I was knocked out cold,'' Presser said. ‘‘Now the roles were reversed. Now he had to be the adult.''
Shawn Presser took his dad's wireless phone and called 911. He had to direct the emergency vehicles. Sometimes he told them if their sirens got louder or quieter. Other times he used landmarks. The 74-minute call led to their rescue.
The Pressers, from Glen Carbon, Ill., took a break from their cross-country trip and stopped in Georgetown, Colo., for a hike. As they climbed up Saxon Mountain, pebbles and mud replaced the firm rocks below. Presser fell and collided with his son. Both fell 30 feet.
‘‘I tore open my head and I was knocked out cold,'' Presser said. ‘‘Now the roles were reversed. Now he had to be the adult.''
Shawn Presser took his dad's wireless phone and called 911. He had to direct the emergency vehicles. Sometimes he told them if their sirens got louder or quieter. Other times he used landmarks. The 74-minute call led to their rescue.
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