Civilian awards
On Sept. 5, 2009, a Mr. Flores-Gonzales suffered a seizure while driving and crashed his car on Highway 50 near Newman Lane. As the car began to burn, two passing motorists stopped to help. Larry Moore of Dayton and Robert Teixera Jr. of Carson City realized that Flores-Gonzales was having medical problems that prevented him from exiting his vehicle. Teixera used a shovel to pry open the door while Moore unbuckled the seat belt and removed Flores-Gonzales from his burning vehicle.
Moore and Teixeira acted in a very expeditious manner and went above and beyond the call of duty expected of ordinary citizens by risking their own lives to save the life of a complete stranger. Due to their quick and courageous actions, each received a Civilian Life Saving Award.
Trooper awards
On Dec. 4, 2009, NHP trooper Doug Kassebaum stopped a vehicle for speeding on U.S. 95A, near Fir Avenue, in Silver Springs. But the driver had a reason for speeding. Kassebaum saw the car’s passenger lying over in the seat and he appeared to be in a great amount of pain. The driver thought his friend was having a heart attack and wanted to get him to the hospital.
Kassebaum immediately called for an ambulance and, while waiting, noticed a bottle of medication on the dashboard prescribed to the passenger. The prescription was for Nitro with a dosage of one pill every five minutes or as needed with a maximum of pills. The driver had mentioned earlier that his passenger had a history of heart trouble and had suffered previous heart attacks. Based on the information, Kassebaum gave one of the pills to the passenger. After five minutes had passed, his condition did not seem to get any better. Kassebaum then gave him a second pill at which time there was a big improvement in the man’s condition.
Shortly thereafter an ambulance arrived on scene. Medical personnel advised that without that medication being administered the man probably would not have made it to the hospital.
On Sept. 23, 2009, a man at the Middle Gate Bar was threatening to shoot up the place. Trooper Wesley Hubred was called in to help the local Churchill County Sheriff’s Department.
Hubred was the first to find the frantic man, who was leaning onto a car back behind the bar. When the man stood up Hubred saw that he was carrying a rifle, which he then placed on the roof.
When the gun-wielding man became belligerent, Hubred replaced his own rifle with a Taser and told the man to stand down. The man eventually was taken into custody, but Hubred also dealt with the man’s wife who had come out of a nearby residence.
After unloading the man’s rifle, Hubred found a box of ammunition on the seat of the vehicle the subject was leaning into. Troopers later learned that the man had also threatened suicide.
Hubred risked injury and exposed himself to danger to prevent harm to patrons of the Middle Gate Bar and prevented damage to surrounding property. His actions reflect great credit upon himself, the Nevada Highway Patrol and the Department of Public Safety.
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