Off-duty Nurse Helps HEB Security Guard Survive Injuries
Austin TX May 4 2023 It was November 2022 when Kathleen Verburgt, a nurse at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin, was shopping at HEB in Austin and there was an altercation at the front of the store.
Deputy Luke Werner, who was working as a security guard at HEB at the time, was called in to arrest a shoplifter. The suspect fought the deputy and then stabbed him twice in the neck.
Kathleen acted quickly and ran to the deputy’s aid, putting pressure on his neck to stop the significant amount of bleeding.
Deputy Werner credits Kathleen with saving his life. “Without her, I don’t know where I’d be,” he said. “When I finally figured out what had happened, I was trying to cover the wounds in my neck myself. I had an HEB employee yelling for someone to get a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and for anyone who knows anything about medical care, that’s not the right tool for a neck wound,” he joked.
In a ceremony to honor Kathleen, Deputy Werner gave her a customized plaque. “She and I will be forever connected, and this is just a very small token of my appreciation.”
Kathleen has also been honored by the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office for her bravery and quick action to save Deputy Werner’s life.
