While playing with his family at a Greeley recreation center, off-duty Colorado State Trooper Daniel Haley saw 10-year-old Brenndan Daviet and some other boys playing on the ice coating a nearby pond. He made a mental note.
“In law enforcement, we play a lot of the ‘what if?’ game,” Haley said.
In an instant, “what if?” became “what now?”
“When I saw him go under, there was no decision after that.”
What Haley did next on Nov. 27 was recognized Monday with a Medal of Valor from the State Patrol. He is only the 42nd recipient of the award in the 75-year history of the patrol.
Clad in shorts and a long-sleeve T-shirt on the 56-degree day, Haley crawled on his belly across the ice toward Brenndan, yelling at the other boys to slowly move toward the shore.
Just as he reached the boy, all the ice gave way, and the trooper joined Brenndan in the bone-chilling water.
Haley was able to grab Brenndan and maneuver his way toward the shore by breaking a path through the ice with his elbows. It took 10 minutes to plow his way through, all the while hanging on to Brenndan.
“I’m just glad he was there, otherwise I know we wouldn’t have Brenndan,” said Brenndan’s mother, Bobbi, who attended Monday’s recognition ceremony with her son.
After making sure her husband was safe, Kristin Haley, who is a nurse at local hospital, immediately began removing Brenndan’s wet clothes. Both Brenndan and Haley were transported to North Colorado Medical Center, where they were treated for hypothermia.
“He’s not the type to brag about something like this,” Kristin Haley said. “It’s nice to see other people acknowledge him.”
Even Monday, Haley was trying to deflect the spotlight.
“It’s overwhelming, and it’s humbling,” Haley said. “To be recognized like this — it’s amazing.”
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
