Three Nevada men receive life saving awards for saving coworker

Emergency Response at Mid-States Companies in Nevada

The workplace incident unfolded on September 3 when an employee at Mid-States Companies in Nevada, Iowa, suffered a severe injury. A piece of steel slipped from the worker’s hand, resulting in a five-inch laceration to his right bicep that narrowly missed a major artery. The victim struggled to keep conscious as heavy bleeding immediately compromised his physical condition.

Drake McKeever, a machine lead at the facility, was standing next to the patient when the accident occurred. Without hesitation, McKeever tore the shirt off his back to apply direct pressure to the wound. Stefan Luppen, another employee who also serves as a volunteer EMT, utilized his nylon belt and a screwdriver to construct a makeshift tourniquet. Meanwhile, Nolan Stoahl, a manufacturing coordinator at Mid-States Companies, focused on tracking down arriving first responders and guiding them directly to the scene.

“As soon as we saw how bad it was, there was no hesitation on jumping into action and making sure he was taken care of,” Stoahl said.

It took approximately 20 minutes for emergency medical services to reach the facility. During that window, the rapid improvised interventions executed by Luppen, McKeever, and Stoahl prevented catastrophic blood loss while the patient waited for professional medical transport.

Nevada City Council Honors Workers With Life Saving Award

On the evening of September 28, the Nevada City Council formally recognized the three men during a public meeting, presenting them with Life Saving Awards. City records indicate this is the first time the municipality has issued the award in over three years.

Chris Brandes, public safety director and Nevada chief of police, emphasized the critical nature of the coworkers’ quick thinking. According to Brandes, any severe bleeding to an extremity poses an immediate threat to life due to dropping blood pressure and loss of blood volume, making initial slowing or stopping of the bleed vital.

Brandes noted that an air medical transport, LifeFlight, was initially requested to assist with the emergency. However, inclement weather grounded the aircraft, preventing it from reaching Nevada. Brandes stated that had the coworkers not intervened with their makeshift pressure dressing and tourniquet, the absence of aerial medical evacuation could have turned the accident fatal.

“It was a team effort, but I don’t think we could have possibly done as good as we did without all of us,” McKeever said.

Following the arrival of ground emergency responders, the injured worker was transported to Mercy One in Des Moines, where he underwent surgery and subsequently began the recovery process.