By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
There’s a lot that Jon Norden doesn’t remember about the day he lost his arm. But he will never forget the voice of his co-worker as he clung to life.
On March 31, at Legacy Farmers Co-op in Custar, Norden, the grain elevator manager, was unclogging a piece of equipment, when his arm became caught.
“Something snagged my arm and dragged me in,” Norden said.
“His life-threatening injuries were haunting,” said Jamie Schroeder, who arrived on the scene with Weston EMS. Schroeder will never forget the horrific scene – and Bre Betz, a grain administrative assistant, who quickly initiated lifesaving care to her coworker.
Betz was one of four individuals who were honored Thursday evening with Black Swamp Humanitarian Awards for their heroic acts in Wood County.
Three received Good Samaritan Awards – Bre Betz, Brynne Gase and Logan Phillips. One was recognized for actions Beyond the Call of Duty – Maggie Sutton. And the staff at a restaurant in Rossford were honored for being Good Samaritans.
This was the 35th annual Black Swamp Humanitarian Awards ceremony held to recognize people for performing heroic acts, oftentimes for strangers.
In the case of Norden, it was his co-worker who came to the rescue.
“She saved his life,” Schroeder said. “She knew what she was doing. She knew what she was going to tell me to do.”
Betz applied a makeshift tourniquet – first using Norden’s belt, then switching to her dog’s blanket – and maintained direct pressure to a life-threatening bleed from the critical injury.
Her quick thinking and calm composure during a gruesome event gave her coworker a fighting chance for survival, said Weston EMS Chief Kathy Heyman.
When EMS arrived, Betz gave a clear and concise report of the incident.
“My body shut down, except for my hearing,” said Norden, 31, who lives in Haskins. “I just remember hearing her voice giving orders in a calm way. I remember hearing everything.”
Betz remembers the overwhelming determination to not let Norden die.
“I didn’t want him to go anywhere,” she said.
Norden was lifeflighted to a Toledo hospital.
“It was a miracle,” Norden said. “You’re a fighter,” Schroeder said to him.
Seven months later, Norden just underwent his final surgery on his arm, which now ends at his shoulder. He is scheduled to be fitted with a prosthetic arm in two weeks.
After finishing her shift as a registered nurse at Blanchard Valley Hospital, Brynne Gase was driving home on Ohio 25 when she came upon a serious two-car accident in the middle of the road. While other drivers steered into the grass around the wreckage, Gase immediately pulled over, recognizing there were victims who needed help.
One victim was outside of his car, attempting to speak with a 911 operator but struggling to relay information. Gase calmly took the phone, communicated with the dispatcher, and began assessing the second victim, who was still inside his vehicle.
When the first police officer arrived, Gase provided a detailed update and explained that they had been unable to get the second victim out of the car. She then led the mobile victim safely to the side of the road, evaluated him for injuries, and helped de-escalate his shock — even speaking with his boss over the phone to explain the situation and offer reassurance.
As paramedics arrived, Gase shared her assessment, including that she had been unable to find a pulse for the victim still in the car. She stayed focused on comforting and supporting the surviving victim, ensuring he was calm and able to communicate clearly with police officers.
After being thanked by law enforcement for her assistance, Gase left the scene — only to realize she still had the surviving victim’s phone. Without hesitation, she turned around and drove 15 minutes back to return it.
Jessica Miller Blakely, who presented the award, noted that it can be scary to stop for an accident. “But Brynne did not hesitate,” she said.
Logan Phillips was on his way home from work on July 14, when he came upon Sophia Dibling, the victim of a pedestrian car crash on Route 25, north of Bowling Green.
With no medical training, but a mom who is a nurse, Phillips knew that the teenage girl who had been hit needed a tourniquet above her badly bleeding foot. He removed his belt and applied the tourniquet on her calf.
Sophia’s mom, Kathy Dibling, said Phillips offered help when many people drove by.
“He didn’t leave her side till someone else took his place,” Dibling said. “It meant so much that a random stranger would help.”
Even after Sophia was taken away by air ambulance, Phillips lingered to see if her mom needed a ride to the hospital.
The Ohio State Patrol credited Phillips with saving Sophia. “He, without a doubt, saved that young girl’s life. Only a handful of people stopped. It takes a special person to stop and render aid to someone they don’t even know.”
Sophia is expected to make a full recovery.
On June 12, Klaus Zoepke began feeling unwell and called his partner, Donna Burke, to come home to their residence in Perrysburg Township. Shortly after Burke arrived home Zoepke collapsed. Zoepke had gone into cardiac arrest – meaning his heart had stopped and he wasn’t breathing.
This condition is known as sudden cardiac death, and roughly nine out of 10 of those experiencing it will not survive.
A neighbor, Maggie Sutton, was working in her backyard when she heard Burke scream for help. Sutton, a registered nurse, ran to help, and quickly determined Zoepke was not breathing and had no pulse. She began CPR – giving Zoepke time that he desperately needed until a first responder could arrive with an AED.
Upon the arrival of first responders, two shocks were delivered to Zoepke’s heart and his heart began to beat again. He was back. Sutton will probably say that she is not a hero, but she did what most people aren’t willing to do. What she did made a difference. With her early intervention, she gave the paramedics’ equipment, drugs, and procedures a better chance of success
Zoepke hugged Sutton, calling her his “guardian angel.”
Staff at Danny’s Cafe – Good Samaritan
In April, a customer at Danny’s Cafe went into cardiac arrest – one day after the restaurant employees received their CPR certifications. Staff members began CPR, grabbed the AED, and called 911. The group followed protocol, which led to the woman being saved.
Billy Kibbey, the environmental health and safety manager for the cafe, said the staff responded as fast as they could.
“They knew what to do, they jumped in, and then patrons jumped in as well,” Kibbey said.
When EMS arrived, the customer was sitting up and talking.
“That’s incredible,” said Bowling Green Fire Chief Bill Moorman.
When Kibbey decided to get his employees CPR certified, he reached out to the Rossford Fire Department. The department set up a CPR clinic for the employees, which included AED demonstrations.
Almost all of the restaurant staff is certified, and Kibbey said he hopes that other businesses will follow their lead with their employees. The establishment also has three AEDs, and recently added a LifeVac to help patrons.
“I think every establishment would be wise to train their staff for their patrons and business partners, as Danny’s has,” Kibbey said.
No one from the restaurant staff was present at the awards ceremony.
