From Breitbart: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), a retired Navy SEAL, helped save the life of an 11-year-old boy injured in a car accident along Interstate 35 near Osceola, Iowa, on Saturday, August 16, by using makeshift tourniquets until first responders arrived, an experience he later reflected on in a post marking the anniversary of his daughter’s passing.
Van Orden and his wife, Sara, were driving south on Interstate 35 near Osceola, Iowa, on Saturday when they witnessed a devastating crash involving a Dodge Grand Caravan that veered off the road at around 70 miles per hour.
According to Van Orden, the vehicle disintegrated upon impact, leaving an 11-year-old boy severely injured. “His calf, which is about as big as my thigh, was completely ripped apart, so I could see his tibia and his fibula,” Van Orden told the Washington Examiner. “And he had an arterial bleed in his right wrist.”
Van Orden, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL and current representative of Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, immediately returned to his vehicle to grab socks from his suitcase, which he used to create makeshift tourniquets for the boy’s leg and arm.
When other motorists stopped to help, Van Orden asked if anyone had a knife. Someone produced one, and he used that to cut the seat belts and use those for tourniquets as well.
One motorist ripped off a windshield wiper and used that to stabilize the boy’s arm. Other motorists helped direct traffic until police and paramedics arrived.
Van Orden said the boy would’ve quickly bled to death if they hadn’t acted to save him.
In a post on X, Van Orden wrote, “God works in mysterious ways. This happened last Saturday but the story came out today, the second anniversary of our sweet daughter’s passing. I am so thankful to have been able to make sure this young man’s father did not join the one club you never want to be in.”
God works in mysterious ways.
This happened last Saturday but the story came out today, the second anniversary of our sweet daughter’s passing.
I am so thankful to have been able to make sure this young man’s father did not join the one club you never want to be in. https://t.co/NBvhbjZfjl
— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) August 19, 2025
Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle wrote, “Wow!!!! @derrickvanorden is the man and every time I turn around he’s saving another life. I remember the story from his campaign a few years ago where he saved a woman’s life in a restaurant in Wisconsin too. Wild.”
“This was a horrific accident, and that young man was incredibly brave,” Van Orden modestly replied.
This was a horrific accident, and that young man was incredibly brave. https://t.co/XrMNOsOUkU
— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) August 19, 2025
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