July 14, 2023 |
Photo – North Platte Valley Medical Center – Bigfoot99 file photo
Tomorrow promises to be an emotional day of remembrance in Saratoga. The family of Tyeler Harris will gather with members of the public at the new medical center in a dedication ceremony honoring the young paramedic who was killed in the line of duty last year.
On the morning of December 21st, 2022, Harris was working with a fellow emergency medical technician from Memorial Hospital of Carbon County, Tiffany Greutzmacher, when tragedy struck. Harris and Greutzmacher were responding to a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 west of Rawlins. While administering to the injured, an 18-wheel semi-truck plowed into their ambulance. Harris was killed.
Greutzmacher was seriously injured and was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. She was released five days later and welcomed home to Rawlins by a parade of emergency vehicles.
Driver inattentiveness on the part of the interstate truck driver has been cited as the cause of the fatal crash.
To honor the memory of their fallen loved one, the Harris family purchased a bench in Tyeler’s name. The memorial will be located on the grounds of the North Platte Valley Medical Center in Saratoga. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Mincy said he is proud to have the bench displayed at the clinic.
Judy Hamel of Bridge Street Bargains is working with the Harris family to organize the bench dedication. Mincy said Hamel considered delaying the dedication ceremony until the medical center grounds were completed but opted to move forward with tomorrow’s event anyway.
Harris was born in Laramie on April 15, 1993. His family lived overseas for 4 years while his father Jason Harris served in the military. Tyler grew up in Riverton. He moved with his wife Ashley and young children to Saratoga in 2021.
The Tyeler Harris bench dedication ceremony will be held tomorrow at 11:00am at the front entrance of the North Platte Valley Medical Center, located at 1300 West Bridge Avenue in Saratoga.
