Geyserville hero

Editor: Several weeks ago, Walter Batt heard a crash outside his
home on River Road in Geyserville. He jumped in his pickup to see
if he could help, and help he did as his actions likely saved a
man’s life!
He arrived on the scene to see a car turned over, the driver
trapped inside, and the transmission fluid leaking slowly on to the
exhaust pipe. A small fire had started already. Walter never
flinched but grabbed his fire extinguisher and quickly put it out.
He told me modestly “I always carry a fire extinguisher in my
pickup, since my days as a volunteer fireman for the Geyserville
Fire Department.”
He then assessed, per his training, the condition of the driver.
The driver had a serious pre-existing lung condition, and Walter
noted he was suspended by his seat belt which was compressing his
lungs, making it harder for him to breathe. Walter tried but was
unable to release the seat belt; again he responded quickly, and
with the knife he always carries, cut the seat belt allowing the
driver to breathe more easily. He then worked on freeing the
driver, and was part way there when Geyserville Fire Department
personnel arrived and used the Jaws of Life to free the driver.
Kudos to Walter Batt for his modesty, his training, and for his
ability in saving this man’s life.
David Anderson MD
Geyserville