Nebraska trooper, deputy honored for rescuing children after crash on I-80

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Gov. Jim Pillen honored two law enforcement officers Friday for rescuing children after a crash near North Platte.

Around 9:45 p.m. on Nov. 23, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 80, just west of North Platte.

Trooper Alex Coffman was close by and found two vehicles partially submerged in water, the Nebraska State Patrol said.

He found two boys standing in the freezing water and carried them to his patrol vehicle, officials said.

The kids’ mother then yelled that another child was still inside the vehicle.

Coffman and Lincoln County Deputy Tyler Schultz got into the freezing water to reach the vehicle.

A one-year-old girl was still buckled into her seat and partially underwater, according to the patrol.

Coffman went underwater to get inside and cut the seat belt.  Schultz then pulled the girl out via a broken window.

The people involved in the crash were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Pillen and Col. John Bolduc – the patrol’s superintendent – presented the NSP Life Saver Award to Coffman and the NSP Public Service Award to Schultz.

“Across our great state, law enforcement officers and first responders commit many acts of heroism, often without fanfare or recognition,” Pillen said in a press release. “Today’s honorees – Trooper Coffman and Deputy Schultz – represent the dedication and selflessness that defines all who serve and protect Nebraskans, each and every day.”