WINNECONNE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – With Thanksgiving just days away, this is a week where many are giving thanks.
And for one Winneconne man, this week marks the first time he was finally able to thank the men and women who helped to save his life.
It was back on September 6th when Lee Halder from Winneconne was shot several times by another driver in Lake Winneconne Park, following a road rage incident. Halder had followed the driver after he said he brake checked him as they were pulling into the village.
“He asked me if I was afraid of guns and it baffled me. Then basically he opened the door and starting shooting,” said Halder about when he confronted the other driver.
Injured, Halder knew he needed help immediately. He said, “My thoughts were, ‘Where do I go? What do I do?’ My choices were right. Everything worked out just right, the best it could have,” said Halder.
Suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, Halder ended up driving himself to Marsh Family Dentistry, just a few blocks away, stumbling out of his vehicle.
“I was right in the middle of an exam with a patient and my hygienist, Tina, said there’s somebody hurt outside. He was bleeding profusely,” said Dr. Christian Marsh, whose staff spotted Halder in their parking lot.
It was a decision that helped to save Halder’s life, as Dr. Marsh and his team tended to the man’s injuries until paramedics arrived.
According to Dr. Marsh, “We used a lab coat to try and put pressure on and tie off one of his major wounds. And a couple of staff members were just elevating his arm and just keeping pressure on some wounds just to stabilize him.”
11 people, including Dr. Marsh and several members of his staff, were honored at Tuesday night’s Village of Winneconne board meeting. The police chief recognized these hometown heroes.
“For their actions, what they did, he’s here today and that’s why we’re here. Just a testament to the values of the Village of Winneconne workers and residents here,” said Chief Ben Sauriol.
The village board meeting was the first time Halder’s heroes were reunited with the man they helped to save.
“It was heartwarming to see him today. I think everyone had the same emotion, just wanted to give him hug to know that he’s okay,” said Marsh Family Dentistry employee Tina Reitz.
Her co-worker, Stephanie Geffers, added, “Some definite closure just to see him walking and talking.”
Halder continues to recover from his injuries. He has a surgery coming up on his left hand. But he’s taking it all in stride and with a sense of humor, knowing if not for the actions of these heroes, he wouldn’t be here today.
“I know you’re supposed to set an appointment first, I didn’t really have time. But I thank you guys so much basically for saving my life because that’s what you did,” Halder told the dental office staff.
The man who shot Halder, 73-year-old Donald Lucero of Winneconne, died the same day as the shooting, after being involved in a crash following a short pursuit with West Bend Police.
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