Tell City boy's quick call for help aids medical rescue

A child’s decision to run for help instead of freezing turned a March 3 medical emergency on Tell City’s 800 block of 9th Street into a rescue that police say may have prevented a tragedy.

Tell City police said 8-year-old Wyatt Howell realized his mother was in serious medical distress and immediately went to find help. He reached nearby residents Jessica Harper and Adam Evrard, giving them the urgent warning that set the response in motion.

Harper stayed with Wyatt and his younger sibling, keeping the children calm and away from the scene while Evrard moved fast to help. Evrard, who serves on the Tell City Board of Public Works and volunteers with the Tell City Fire Department Medical Team, called 911 and entered the home. Police said he found the woman unresponsive and struggling to breathe, then repositioned her and restored her airway.

Officers and firefighters later publicly commended Howell, Harper and Evrard for acting without hesitation. In a medical emergency where every second counted, police said the combination of a frightened but resourceful child, a neighbor who stayed calm, and a trained volunteer made a life-saving difference.

The episode also underscored how much Tell City depends on people who know what to do when a crisis hits at home. A fast call to 911, a neighbor willing to step in, and basic awareness of signs of medical distress can matter as much as formal training when breathing stops or becomes labored.

That matters in a city served by a volunteer department that says it has 22 firemen and 6 reserves under Fire Chief Greg Linne and Assistant Chief John Kleeman. The Tell City Fire Department responds not only to fires, but also to medical emergencies, rescue calls, motor vehicle accidents and hazardous materials incidents in Tell City, parts of Troy Township and Perry County.

The department’s roots run deep. Tell City’s firefighting history began with a cistern built in 1859, Fire Company No. 1 formed in 1860, and Ordinance No. 14, adopted Nov. 13, 1886, formally setting out the duties of the volunteer fire department. More than a century later, the same hometown instinct to act quickly still shaped the outcome on 9th Street.