Boy visits first responders who saved him
NORMAN — An 8-yearold Norman boy reunited with the first responders who helped save his life after he was hit by a car last year.
Last week, Ian Howard met the Norman firefighters and EMSSTAT paramedics who saved his life after he was hit by a car July 13 while he was skateboarding in front of his west Norman home.
“The Norman firefighters and EMSSTAT responders who were the first to arrive at the scene were instrumental in saving Ian’s life,” Ian’s mother, Andrea Howard, said. “We are so very thankful for our local heroes. Thanks to them, he will live a full and happy life. We are so grateful for that.”
The feeling was mutual. “We were able to witness the recovery and positive outcome of this situation,” Norman Assistant Fire Chief Joel Chesser said. “It was a good experience for our firefighters to see the fruits of their labor, so to speak.
“It’s important sometimes for our people to see the benefit that they provide Norman residents, and this was an opportunity for to see the actions and jobs they do have positive outcomes.”
Chesser was one of the firefighters on scene that morning.
“[Ian] required immediate care and attention. It was a pretty traumatic situation for him and his family. With the help of EMSSTAT, we were able to quickly transport him to Children’s OU Medical Center.”
Ian suffered a skull fracture, brain bleed, shattered facial bone, dental damage, a broken collar bone, broken leg, multiple lacerations to his face and body and third-degree burns to legs and back as a result of the collision, causing him to spend the next week in the intensive care unit, his mother said.
While Ian was in the hospital, an unexpected visitor came bearing gifts.
“About three days after the accident, Joel (Chesser) and his wife came up to the hospital to bring Ian a little care package. That really meant a lot to me and my husband,” Andrea Howard said.
She said once they were able to bring Ian home, it was comparable to bringing a newborn home, but there was also instant improvement.
“We had to make special arrangements in the house to accommodate him. He couldn’t go to the bathroom on his own and he couldn’t walk,” she said. “He hated being in the hospital. Once we got him back to his familiar environment, where he could have friends come and visit him, it really helped him bounce back quick,” she said.
Ian attended physical therapy twice a week in October, which his mother credits to helping the third-grader become a “normal” boy again.
His mother said Ian returned to school at Community Christian School in the fall and recently was cleared to participate in recess.
“He was elated,” she said. “It’s hard to keep an 8-year-old boy still.”
Distributed by The Associated Press