Three Sequim police officers were presented with life saving awards during Monday’s City Council meeting for their roles in saving a man who had been struck by a hit and run pickup truck on Highway 101 east of Sequim earlier this month.  Witnesses said the man, identified as 66-year-old Lawrence Sherer of Mukilteo had been fighting with another man on the Highway near the “Welcome to Sequim” elk sign at Simdars Road around 11 pm October 8.

Officers Devin McBride, Ella Mildon and Chris Moon were the first to arrive. Sequim Deputy Mayor Rachel Anderson read from the proclamation:

“Officer Mildon arrived first and observed a female doing chest compressions on a male in the middle of the highway. She immediately checked for a pulse and started life saving measures.  As other officers and sheriff’s deputies arrived, they took over chest compressions. Officer Mildon retrieved her AED and handed it off to Officer McBride while officer Moon and others continued CPR. Officers and Deputies continued life saving measures for approximates seven minutes until EMS staff arrived on scene and took over patient care.”

Sherer was airlifted on a Life Flight helicopter to Seattle’s Harborview Hospital in what a State Patrol spokesperson was in “Very Critical” condition.

Police Chief Mike Hill:

“I do think it’s important to recognize officers for saving human life because there’s no way you can put a value on that. So the recognition that they receive for an invaluable service is well deserved.  As you can imagine when they showed up on scene on October 8th it was chaotic and violent. And that’s an understatement based on what we saw and what the investigation revealed. But these three immediately went to work on what their number one priority was and that saving someone’s life.”

The second person involved in the fight on the Highway is not know.  He go into his vehicle and sped away.  The driver of the hit and run pickup turned herself in at the Clallam County courthouse the next morning.