Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
Monday morning, the PRMS seventh grade class and members of the Merrill Police Department, honored seventh grader Michael Dickman for an act of heroism.
On the morning of Thursday, Feb. 21 Michael was walking to school and heard the screams of Lonnie Strauss who was stuck in the deep snow. Strauss was shoveling snow when he fell off of a loading dock and became stuck. After yelling for help for nearly two hours in the single-digit cold weather, Michael happened to hear Strauss calling for help and came to the rescue. Michael first attempted to wave down a car to assist, but when that didn’t work he went into a nearby building and called 911.
MPD Officer Tyler Tesch and EMS personnel from the Merrill Fire Department responded a short time later to assist Strauss out of the snow. Strauss suffered some frostbite as a result of the incident, however thanks to Dickman’s actions and quick thinking, Strauss came out of the incident with his life. Michael was awarded a Citizens Public Service Award for his lifesaving act. When asked about the incident Michael said “I’m happy I was able to help him.”