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Off-duty yuma Border Patrol agent aids state legislator at scene of rollover crash
An off-duty Yuma Sector Border Patrol agent on his way home from an out-of-town trip sprang into action when he came upon a single-vehicle crash.
The agent, Operations Officer Bryon Strom, was traveling back to Yuma on Sunday when he came upon an overturned vehicle at approximately 2:45 p.m. on County Road 15 near Kirkland Junction, Ariz.
A certified emergency medical technician, Strom stopped and rushed over to the vehicle, where he found the driver unconscious and still strapped into her seatbelt.
After using his medical shears to free the woman, Strom performed initial medical care on her until an ambulance arrived on scene.
The driver of the car has been identified as 78-year-old Skull Valley resident Judy M. Burges, who is a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, representing District 1.
According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Burges swerved off the road and struck brush, which appeared to be the cause of the rollover.
She was able to tell Yavapai County deputies that she had attended church in Yarnell and was on her way back home to Skull Valley when the accident occurred.
As a precaution, Burges was transported by Lifeline ambulance to Yavapai Regional Medical Center where it was confirmed that she did not sustain serious injury.
The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and there is no evidence that driver impairment was a factor.