Scott County presented its Morris A. Miller Health Hero Award to paramedic Mark Weiberg on Dec. 20 to honor Weiberg for his actions on Feb. 14, 2016 during a car accident on I-35.
On that February night in a winter storm, Weiberg was driving home on I-35 after a 12-hour shift at Northfield Hospital & Clinics’ Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
An accident happened on the highway ahead of him, and a vehicle rolled over. The freeway was closed by first responders from the Elko New Market Fire Department. Traffic stopped. Weiberg left his car, walked to the crash site, and resuscitated a pediatric cardiac arrest victim using the fire department’s equipment, and gave the patient the best chance of survival. He stayed on scene until all of the crash victims had been attended to.
Chris Matek, the Operations Supervisor at NH&C’s EMS department who nominated Weiberg for the Health Hero Award, said: “Mark’s selfless acceptance of the risks of working with a patient on the freeway at night in a snow storm gave many of the other first responders the confidence to keep doing their jobs and to manage a very emotionally charge and chaotic scene. Mark’s example elevates the profession and gives his colleagues a high bar to reach for.”
Weiberg has been a paramedic for over 20 years. He is a board-certified flight medic and a critical care paramedic. Weiberg joined NH&C’s EMS department last summer. Matek calls Weiberg’s contributions to the department “numerous and invaluable.”
The Morris A. Miller Health Hero Award was established by Scott County to honor people in the community who make a spontaneous reaction to an emergency while not thinking of their own safety during an unusual medical or lifesaving incident.
This award was named in honor of the late Morris A. Miller. Mr. Miller was highly respected in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) field as he had worked diligently for many years in the area of pre-hospital care in Scott County and throughout the Metro Area.
Watch Fox 9's story on Weiberg and the Health Hero award here: http://www.fox9.com/news/224789587-story