The Prior Lake City Council meeting held March 10 served as place to reunite a youngster who was involved in a tragic accident with those who rushed to save him.

April 1, 2020, is a day never forgotten by Prior Lake Fire Chief Rick Steinhaus nor his son, Prior Lake Police Officer Cody Steinhaus. Both were on duty that day and answered an accident call that involved a large truck and a Toyota Corolla at the intersection of County Road 21 and Natchez Avenue. Upon arrival, they found a father and son who were deceased. In the back seat, a young boy laid critically injured.

Rick Steinhaus jumped into action, pulled the child out of the vehicle and handed him to Cody. Dr. Andrew Stevens from Allina Medical was also at the scene and assisted with getting six-year-old Myles Chacha ready for transport to a major medical facility where he spent the next 107 days being treated for traumatic brain injuries.

Lulu Thompson, Myles’ mother, has vivid memories of having police officers arriving at her door to notify her of the accident. She said she knew instantly that something terrible had happened. From that moment on, her life changed, as did Myle’s.

“Life was pretty much flipped upside down. The old world didn’t exist any more,” Thompson said, adding that the four years following the accident were filled with hope, courage, many surgeries and adjusting to new circumstances. “You end up swimming in a pool where you don’t know where you are going to end up.”

Thompson said she often thinks about the major impact the accident may have had on the first responders who she largely credits for saving her son’s life. When she was contacted by a detective with the Prior Lake Police Department about recognizing those individuals with a life-saving presentation, her response was an immediate “yes.”

Rick and Cody Steinhaus were honored by the City of Prior Lake for their efforts during the council meeting, which also gave them the opportunity to meet the young man they saved, along with his family, nearly six years after the tragedy happened.

Rick Steinhaus was hired by the City of Prior Lake to be its Fire Chief in December of 2016. He had also served as a paid-on-call firefighter for the city from 1992 through 2014. Cody Steinhaus was hired by the city as a police officer in February of 2019.

“Our first responders — our medical, fire and police — their days and nights are filled with entering other people’s lives. Each and every time, it’s an ask for them to help when something is wrong or broken. They step up and say, I will answer that call,” Police Chief Liam Duggan stated during the presentation.

“It’s important to recognize when people step up,” Thompson said. “I was so excited to finally meet them. I can’t imagine the scene they walked into that day.”

As he recovered, the loss of both his father and brother was hard for him to accept, according to his mother. Myles has, however, made significant progress since the accident though still faces challenges and some loss of independence. Today he loves basketball, going fishing and going to camp. He idolizes Viking wide-receiver Justin Jefferson.

“Myles is a miracle. He has worked really hard to get to where he is and continues to work on regaining his independence,” she said. “I am filled with gratitude that the chief and his son saved my son.”

“Myles is full of joy, love and he laughs a lot,” she said. “I have them to thank for that.”