Seymour Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis (left) with Seymour Police Officer Julia Thomas.
SEYMOUR — Town and state officials recognized a police officer’s quick actions in helping save a resident’s life following a motorcycle crash where a man lost part of his leg.
Officer Julia Thomas was honored by First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis during the Dec. 15 meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners, as well as presented with a commendation from state Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, state Sen. Eric Berthel and state Sen. Kevin Kelly.
Klarides-Ditria’s husband, Seymour Police Detective Steve Ditria, presented the state honor on behalf of the delegation.
“Thanks to the fast actions of Officer Thomas, who applied a tourniquet, she saved the life of one of our own residents,” Drugonis said. “It’s so important to recognize how important our men and women in blue are to us.”
Thomas, along with Seymour Police Chief Paul Satkowski, were first to arrive at the scene on Derby Avenue on Oct. 21 after a 911 call for a car versus motorcycle crash came in.
“I can tell you the scene was not what we had expected,” Satkowski said. “The original dispatch call came in about an accident involving two or possibly three vehicles, unsure of any injuries. It seemed kind of minor. However, once we arrived, the scene was very much different and chaotic.”
Satkowski said Thomas located the male driver of the motorcycle in the road with “severe, life-threatening injuries” to his lower extremity.
“Officer Thomas, immediately and without hesitation, applied a tourniquet to the victim’s lower right leg, and continued her medical assessment and provided medical treatment until EMS and Advanced Life Support arrived on scene and took over,” Satkowski said.
Thomas, a member of the department since 2018, told the Valley Indy her emergency training kicked in, when she approached the man and saw that a portion of his leg was missing.
“… I went into auto-pilot mode. I thought back to my emergency training and I applied a tourniquet,” she said. “It was kind of like an out-of- body experience.”
Police declined to release the man’s name and The Valley Indy didn’t push the issue. Authorities said the man is still recovering from his injuries.
Satkowski commended Thomas for her actions.
“Officer Thomas did a phenomenal job that evening which I was able to observe first hand,” Satkowski said. “She remained calm during the incident and immediately took control of the situation. I am very proud of her for the way she conducted herself in a professional manner under extreme and stressful conditions.”
Drugonis, during the meeting, also presented citations from the town to several other officers who assisted at crash scene, including to Satkowski, Officer Jasmine Deida and Officer Deirdre Martin.
Drugonis also issued citations and letters which will go into the officers’ personnel files to Commander Michael Fapiano, Detective Joseph Matusovich, Detective Michael Jasmin and Officers Michael Santanelli, Dedrick Wilcox, Matthew Funchion, Jamie Erdman, Meredith Shook, Kris Marra and John Oczkowski for helping a suicidal resident.
“Officers of the Seymour Police Department represent the best of us, sacrificing their safety to ensure our own,” Drugonis said. “I thank all these officers for their efforts, not only today, but each day they put on the uniform.”
Satkowski, by the way, has retired as chief as of Dec. 31. He wrote a letter to the community that was shared on the Seymour Police Department’s Facebook page. Click here to read it and click here to read a previous Valley Indy story about his retirement.
