Boy reunites with first responders who helped him

CHIPPEWA COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) - It's been almost a month since several people, including children, were hurt after a wagon tipped over at an apple orchard in Chippewa County.

Now, for the first time, one of the children hospitalized met the first responders who treated him.

At a fall festival hosted by the Chippewa Fire District, kids were watching heroes in a simulation. But one Chippewa County boy needed those heroes in real life.

"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," Haley Hanson, a firefighter and EMT with the Chippewa Fire District said. "We got there and it was everything and more that they said it was."

Now the boy is meeting those first responders once again. Four weeks ago, 25 people were hurt on a field trip to an apple orchard in the Town of Lafayette.

"Not knowing the extent of his injuries or if they were life-threatening was horribly scary," Angie Mier, Gabe Meir's mom, said.

Gabe Meir was one of the people hurt, being flown to a hospital.

"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 level of the situation," Angie said.

Now Gabe is back with those who helped him, picking out pumpkins and exploring, in a reunion first responders don't often get.

"A lot of times we don't get to follow up with our patients, even dropping them off at the hospital," Hanson said. "It was really exciting."

"All the calls don't work out like that and sometimes you have traumatic calls that don't end well," Erik Hennlich, a captain with the Chippewa Fire District, said. "The ones that do end well, you really have to focus on and realize that's why you're doing the job."

So on Sunday, with tons of celebrations around them for the fall festival, everyone met their hero.

"I just think he's a superhero because he was so strong," Hanson said.

For days, Gabe was treated for skull fractures and a concussion among other injuries at hospitals in St. Paul. He is continuing to recover, going to school part-time but still needs to take it slow.