Ripley County dispatchers honor Good Samaritan for lifesaving actions

Was honored on Thursday

(VERSAILLES, Ind.) – Ripley County dispatchers are recognizing a Good Samaritan for his lifesaving actions earlier this year. 

Robert Chamblin, of Batesville, was driving on St. Mary’s Road when he witnessed a vehicle lose control and flip several times. 

“The car went airborne and I was still a few hundred yards away but I knew it wasn’t good,” Chamblin recalled. 

Chamblin immediately called 9-1-1 and then helped get the trapped driver safely out of the vehicle.

Moments later, the vehicle went up in flames. 

A passerby, Danny Smith, and a local homeowner, Dan Gutapfel, also stopped and assisted during the incident.

Ripley County Dispatcher Tim Costello was the person on the other end of the phone when Chamblin called 9-1-1 that day.

He has praised Chamblin and said his actions contributed to the driver being alive today.

On Thursday, Ripley County Communications invited Chamblin to their office where he was presented with the Lifesaving Award. 

It also allowed Chamblin to meet the dispatcher he spoke with during those tense moments back in August. 

RELATED: Not too far from the scene of the crash, a man saved the lives of two people during a house fire in 2023. Read that story here.