The actions of some police officers across the country have been a source of controversy that has resulted in tragedies. Those actions obscure the many good things that other officers do on a daily basis, including one suburban Denver policeman who attempted to calm a two-year-old girl.
Officer Nick Struck of the Brighton (CO) Police Department was called to the scene of an accident on June 18, 2015. There, a Dodge Durango SUV carrying a family of six went off Interstate 76 and landed upside down following a rollover crash. The family was in the process of moving from Peoria, IL, to Colorado after Torres had accepted a roofing job in the Denver area.
The cause of the accident was a blown tire, which had caused the mother, Stephanie Greer, to lose control of the vehicle
None of the occupants was restrained with either seat belts or child car seats. That resulted in the father, Carlos Torres, being declared dead at the scene, while the mother and the couple’s four children (Zayden 4; Sophia, 3; Sirena, 2; and Cruz, 4 months) were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
After arriving, Struck and paramedics worked feverishly to remove the family from the vehicle. He first attempted to speak to the Zayden inside, but received no response. It was at that point that a paramedic handed him the crying Sirena, who was soaked in gasoline.
In an effort to distract the emotionally upset toddler, Struck carried her away into a nearby grass field. While holding her, the parallels to his own personal situation came to mind, since he also has a two-year-old daughter.
Realizing that Sirena needed some comforting reassurance, Struck decided to do the same thing he does with his own daughter: sing to her. While pointing out all of the nearby surroundings, including the helicopters transporting her family members and the emergency lights of the police cruisers and ambulances, he began to sing, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
The choice of that song was appropriate, since the beat of the song corresponds almost perfectly with the flashing lights. Struck pointed out that when he does the same thing with his daughter, she begins singing at approximately the halfway point. While there was no indication if Sirena began singing, the gesture stopped her crying and caught the attention of a nearby photographer who had witnessed the accident while driving behind the SUV.
Jessica Doug Matrious snapped a photo of Struck pointing out something to Sirena and sent the photo to a nearby television station that reported on the story. She also posted it on social media, which turned Struck’s actions into a viral sensation, with the photo receiving an estimated three million views.
Sirena was the only family member not to be injured. Greer suffered torn tendons and ligaments in her legs, daughter Sophia suffered a broken collarbone, Cruz fractured his pelvis and both legs and Zayden sustained a severe injury to the brain as well as a number of bone fractures.
In order to pay for the extensive medical bills that were created by treating Zayden’s, an online find was set up by a friend on the YouCaring website.
Struck’s actions on behalf of others didn’t stop after this situation. Less than a month after that accident, he saw a news report about a police commander within his own department that was struggling with kidney disease and needed a transplant.
Encouraged by his wife to get tested to see if his kidney was compatible, Struck was found to be a match and the transplant took place.