Bradenton Police officer to receive medal

BRADENTON – Quick action by an off-duty officer helped save the life of a man who had a heart attack while driving.

Bradenton Police Officer Danny Bench will receive the Medal of Merit.

The Bradenton Police Department said in a press release that Master Patrol Officer Danny Bench will receive the Medal of Merit for his actions on the night of Jan. 13.

Bench had just finished an off-duty security detail and was heading home when he heard a call about a crash. A 69-year-old man driving west in the 2500 block of Manatee Avenue West was approaching the intersection at 26th Street West and suffered an apparent heart attack. The vehicle left the road, crashing through a hedge surrounding a parking lot at the southwest corner of the intersection, then struck a concrete support pole and stopped.

Witnesses called 911 and went to help the driver while dispatch informed the responders that the driver was unresponsive and had no pulse. Bench was a block away from the crash scene and was the first to respond to the scene, the release said. He confirmed that the driver was responsive and had no pulse, pulled the man from the vehicle and initiated CPR.

Bench continued administering CPR until paramedics arrived and and took over. They continued to work on the man and took him to Manatee Memorial Hospital, where the medical staff resuscitated him and stabilized his condition until he was breathing on his own.

Bench has been with the department since 1998, the release said, and is assigned to the School Resource Officer program.