ON 10/24/21, DEPUTIES RESPONDED TO A HEAD- ON COLLISION CAR ACCIDENT ORIGINALLY DISPATCHED TO UTAH HIGHWAY PATROL AT MM 15 SR 39 BETWEEN A TRUCK AND A PASSENGER CAR. Deputy Farnum from the WCSO self-dispatched and was the first Law Enforcement Officer on scene. Deputy Farnum quickly went to work, calling out plate numbers and assessing the scene to see what needed to be done.

Upon arrival, crews quickly determined the driver of the passenger vehicle was deceased, the front seat passenger was in critical condition, and the rear seat passenger was in extremely critical condition. The driver of the truck had severe injuries, and all would need to be extricated.

Deputy Farnum assisted the medical and fire crew who were busy trying to access and extricate the four victims. One patient, who was the rear seat passenger of the car, was a 9-year-old female in extremely critical condition with severe head trauma. It was reported the 9-year-old was not wearing a seatbelt. Medical crews determined the female needed to be transported to the nearest trauma center immediately, and the transport could not be delayed waiting for other medical teams to arrive. Due to bad weather, medical helicopters were not able to fly, complicating an already chaotic scene.

With medical and fire personnel spread thin due to the number of patients and the complicated process of extricating four patients, the ambulance crew asked Deputy Farnum if he could drive the ambulance while medics attended to the injured 9-year-old inside. Deputy Farnum, having prior experience driving an ambulance, did not hesitate and immediately jumped into action and drove the ambulance to McKay Dee Hospital.

Deputy Farnum then returned to the scene and assisted in any way he could. Deputy Farnum was commended on his excellent driving of the ambulance, and it was reported that he drove “fast and efficient”. In closing, Deputy Farnum is making the Sheriff’s Office a better place because he works here.

At the hospital, the 9-year-old patient was admitted to the ICU in extremely critical condition with a slim chance of surviving through the night. Upon further follow-up days later, the Sheriff’s Office was notified the child was out of her coma, talking to hospital staff, and looking forward to being released from the hospital to return home to continue healing.