“There’s no way I could just drive away”
Campus Public Safety officer, Kevin Lanier, was heading to take his lunch break when his “gut instinct” turned him around.
On April 21, 2014 around 11:30, Lanier was driving down Regency checking routine patrol areas when he saw a Bend Police officer getting out of his vehicle. Lanier heard the officer on the scanner in the CPS car say he was going to be out with a collision of a vehicle into a house. Even though it wasn’t “technically” part of his job description, because it was off campus, Lanier stopped to offer aid.
“It’s not required for [CPS officers] to assist off campus,” Lanier said, “but there’s no way I could just drive away from it knowing someone’s in danger.”
The Bend Police Corporal Troy Wiles was notified of the motor vehicle crash while conducting routine traffic enforcement in the area.
When Lanier arrived at the scene, it was only about 30 seconds after it happened, and Wiles had just opened the door to remove the occupant from the vehicle.
Terry Howard, the only occupant in the car, was “not showing signs of life” upon his arrival, according to Lanier.
While Howard and Wiles performed “lifesaving efforts,” another concern arose. The vehicle had crashed into a house, which could cause smoke and possibly start a fire.
“I took a step back to reassess the scene while [Wiles] was doing his lifesaving efforts,” Lanier said. “At that point it did look like the car was starting to smoke.”
Luckily, the car did not catch on fire and the two individuals in the house were unharmed, according to the incident report.
At the time of EMS transport, Howard was breathing on his own, and is currently in “stable” condition, according to Lanier.
“It wasn’t all just a win for me or a win for Corporal Wiles but a successful mutual aid call for the agencies involved,” Lanier said. “There was no tug of war for power or anything like that. Our teams worked very effectively together.”
All CPS Vehicles have AED’s in them, which was able to be deployed quickly and used with effective results, according to Lanier.
“Our entire department is proud of the life saving actions that Officer Lanier took,” said Jim Bennett, Campus Public Safety Coordinator. “This is a great example of our belief that the right equipment and training saves lives.”
Molly Svendsen | The Broadside
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