News

Sheriff honors NHHS student for response to car crash

By l, Published: February 3, 2023

When a head-on collision on Terry’s Gap Road on Dec. 8 resulted in the death of a North Henderson High School student and grave injuries to two other teenagers, a North classmate did not hesitate to rescue the two survivors.

Sheriff Lowell Griffin on Tuesday honored NHHS student Dominic Garren and credited him with taking life saving measures that helped to save the lives of the other two passengers.

The crash killed Madison Crawford, one of two passengers in a Ford Ranger pickup driven by Robert “Xander” Lunsford, a 2022 NHHS graduate. Lunsford and Kimisa Buchanan, a junior, were badly injured. The accident happened when a Dodge Dakota driven by Michael Travalini, 56, crossed the center line and collided head-on with the pickup, WLOS-TV reported.

"Dominic did not hesitate and did what most adults could not do," Griffin said in a news release on Thursday. "He climbed into the mangled vehicle and provided first-aid to include, clearing the airway and securing the spine of one of the passengers, while speaking to the second passenger who was badly injured to calm them down in order to help slow the bleeding."

While a civilian receiving the Lifesaving Award is rare, awardiing the honor to a teenager is almost unheard of. Dominic is a long time STAR Camp Counselor for the Sheriff’s Office and a student leader at North Henderson High School.