An Indiana State Police Trooper out of the Fort Wayne post is credited with going above and beyond to help the children of a Kosciusko County man.

Master Trooper Joe McLaughlin was asked to help an ambulance crew as they were transporting an injured man from a race track in North Webster to Lutheran Hospital for injuries sustained in a crash while racing his four-wheeler.

He met with them Sunday around 11:30 a.m. on U.S. 30 near the Whitley-Kosciusko County Line and provided transportation for the injured man’s eight year old son and nine year old daughter so they would not have to watch as medics tended to their seriously injured father.

A press release from the Indiana State Police says McLaughlin was able to use his own parental experience to talk with the kids in a compassionate way which made them feel more calm, comfortable and able to understand the situation more easily. Contact with a family member was made, but it was going to be a couple of hours before she could pick the kids up, as she would have been coming from Michigan City.

McLaughlin drove the kids to Lutheran Hospital so they could see that their father was continuing to receive the medical attention he was still needing, and then he bought them lunch at a nearby McDonald’s before stopping at the Fort Wayne Post to await the arrival of the family member. He is said to have never left their side.

“I am very proud of Joe for being compassionate and caring to some little children when they needed it most.  I am also very proud of Master Trooper Tim Myers and Region II Dispatcher Darcey Goehring for helping with the children also,” said Lieutenant Corey Culler, Fort Wayne District Commander.  “These are acts that our Troopers perform that go above and beyond, and make a difference in the communities they serve” continued Culler.

McLaughlin is a 17 year veteran of the State Police and is a resident of rural Whitley County.