Dog saves boy
The family of an 11 year old Williamson boy injured in a close call with a bulldozer is calling the family dog a hero for saving his life.
Stephen Brentlinger was hospitalized with a broken leg and bruising to the other leg after a large tree stump and other debris fell on him as a wooded area was being cleared on Blanton Mill Road Tuesday, Jan. 27 around 2 p.m. The family dog Cookie alerted the driver of the bulldozer, Steve Pierce, to a problem.
Brentlinger had built a secret fort in a pile of woodsy brush on the Pierce property next door to his home. His father Stuart Brentlinger said he had been told not to go there. He saw bulldozer work being done so he went to his fort to watch. His sisters Keera, 8, and Katie, 13, remained in their yard.
Stephen had the bulldozer in his sight; then he didn't. The next thing he saw were trees and earth coming toward him. He saw the stump closing in on him.
Cookie got between the bulldozer and the spot where Brentlinger lay nearly covered with debris and barked frantically. The dog made Pierce stop the bulldozer.
"That's the only reason he stopped," Mr. Brentlinger said.
Katie ran toward Pierce to alert him to her brother's presence in the piles of stumps and brush. All they could see was his head.
The girls ran back to the house and their mother Karen Brentlinger called 911. Pike County volunteer firefighters and rescue personnel, along with a couple of deputies and an ambulance, arrived at the scene. It took them an hour and a half and use of two of the fire department's Jaws of Life to shore up the area and lift the tree stump and debris from him so he could be removed. There was an estimated 1,000 pounds of material covering him.
Stephen said he was conscious and talking to rescue personnel as they worked to remove him.
"It was hard to stay awake," he said.
Fortunately, he was lying on his back in a depression, having fallen backward as he attempted to run away as the debris came toward him. His parents said he could have suffered a broken back had it not been for the position he was in. His right leg suffered the most injury.
"I think half the county turned out to save him. They were wonderful," Mrs. Brentlinger said.
Weather conditions did not allow Stephen to be transported by air to Atlanta. It was decided to take him to Columbus by ambulance since there would be less traffic along the way. His mother rode with him.
Twenty miles from the hospital the ambulance began to overheat but it kept going until it reached the hospital, Mr. Brentlinger said.
Examination and testing in the emergency room showed Stephen had a break in his thigh bone and diagonal break in the large bone of his lower leg. The left leg had trauma to the soft tissue but no breaks have been found.
The home-schooled fifth grader who has a black belt in karate remains in the hospital at press time. Stephen isn't blaming anyone but himself for what happened.
Cookie remains at home awaiting Stephen's return.
"That dog is a hero," Mr. Brentlinger said.
The Brentlingers got him at an animal shelter. Cookie was on the list to be put down.
"We rescued him and he rescued Stephen," Mrs. Brentlinger said.
Brentlinger had built a secret fort in a pile of woodsy brush on the Pierce property next door to his home. His father Stuart Brentlinger said he had been told not to go there. He saw bulldozer work being done so he went to his fort to watch. His sisters Keera, 8, and Katie, 13, remained in their yard.
Stephen had the bulldozer in his sight; then he didn't. The next thing he saw were trees and earth coming toward him. He saw the stump closing in on him.
Cookie got between the bulldozer and the spot where Brentlinger lay nearly covered with debris and barked frantically. The dog made Pierce stop the bulldozer.
"That's the only reason he stopped," Mr. Brentlinger said.
Katie ran toward Pierce to alert him to her brother's presence in the piles of stumps and brush. All they could see was his head.
The girls ran back to the house and their mother Karen Brentlinger called 911. Pike County volunteer firefighters and rescue personnel, along with a couple of deputies and an ambulance, arrived at the scene. It took them an hour and a half and use of two of the fire department's Jaws of Life to shore up the area and lift the tree stump and debris from him so he could be removed. There was an estimated 1,000 pounds of material covering him.
Stephen said he was conscious and talking to rescue personnel as they worked to remove him.
"It was hard to stay awake," he said.
Fortunately, he was lying on his back in a depression, having fallen backward as he attempted to run away as the debris came toward him. His parents said he could have suffered a broken back had it not been for the position he was in. His right leg suffered the most injury.
"I think half the county turned out to save him. They were wonderful," Mrs. Brentlinger said.
Weather conditions did not allow Stephen to be transported by air to Atlanta. It was decided to take him to Columbus by ambulance since there would be less traffic along the way. His mother rode with him.
Twenty miles from the hospital the ambulance began to overheat but it kept going until it reached the hospital, Mr. Brentlinger said.
Examination and testing in the emergency room showed Stephen had a break in his thigh bone and diagonal break in the large bone of his lower leg. The left leg had trauma to the soft tissue but no breaks have been found.
The home-schooled fifth grader who has a black belt in karate remains in the hospital at press time. Stephen isn't blaming anyone but himself for what happened.
Cookie remains at home awaiting Stephen's return.
"That dog is a hero," Mr. Brentlinger said.
The Brentlingers got him at an animal shelter. Cookie was on the list to be put down.
"We rescued him and he rescued Stephen," Mrs. Brentlinger said.
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
