Boy reunited with first responders who saved his life after tractor accident

CHIPPEWA COUNTY, Wis. — A young boy injured in a tractor accident during a field trip to a fall festival in Chippewa County last month got to meet the heroes who saved him.
“You always think that it’s not going to be as big of a deal as it was coming through on the radio, through dispatch. But we got there and it was everything, you know, and more than they said it was,” firefighter/EMT Haley Hanson said.
Four weeks ago, 25 people were hurt on a field trip to an apple orchard in the town of Lafayette. Gabe Mier was one of them — being flown to the hospital.
“Not knowing the extent of his injuries or if they were life-threatening was horribly scary,” Agnie Mier, Gabe Mier’s mom, said. “We knew we didn’t have the ability to take care of him and what he needed and having somebody that was competent and was willing to take charge and help us really helped with the stress levels of the situation.”
Now, Gabe Mier is back with those who helped him, picking out pumpkins and exploring in a reunion first responders do not get often.
“Seeing a little boy being a little boy, things could have been a lot worse than that,” Fire Captain Erik Hennlich said. “All the calls don’t work out like that. And sometimes you have traumatic calls that don’t end well. And the ones that do end well, you really have to focus on and realize that’s why you’re doing the job.”
Gabe Mier was in the hospital for days, treated for skull fractures, a concussion and other injuries. He’s continuing to recover and going to school part-time.
“I just think he’s a superhero because — I mean — he was so strong,” Hanson said.