A stalled police cruiser with an officer slumped over at the wheel caught Nancy CunninghamÕs eye during the drive home from a friendÕs Lake Highlands home.
ÒI thought he had had a heart attack,Ó Cunningham says. ÒHe was passed at the steering wheel. The car was rolling along.Ó
Left alone at the Kingsley and Skillman intersection, the car would have carried its helpless occupant down a steep hill. But Cunningham and two other bystanders intervened, keeping Corporal Rick Reid and others from harm.
Police say Sandra Benson and Deborah Perry left their cars to direct traffic in the intersection away from Reid. They also stopped ReidÕs car from rolling completely through the intersection, with Cunningham placing her car in front of the squad car to prevent any further movement. All three women then checked on Corporal Reid and called for help.
ÒIt was quite a scene,Ó Cunningham says, adding that many passerby didnÕt really understand what was happening.
ÒIt looked like the police cruiser had hit my car,Ó she says, laughing.
After help arrived, the women had to remain at the site for Òhours, telling the story 10,000 times,Ó Cunningham says, joking that Òno good deed goes unpunished.Ó
Each woman received a CitizenÕs Certificate of Merit Award from Police Chief Ben Click, and Cunningham also was named KRLD Citizen of the Week. The on-air announcement brought a surprising amount of attention to this neighborhood mother of three.
ÒYou think that nobody in the world is listening to this,Ó Cunningham says. ÒStarting at 7:28, my phone was ringing for hours.Ó
Cunningham, a long-time Crime Watch worker, volunteer in the Vickery Place Neighborhood Association and supporter of community policing, says Òas much as police officers do, it was nice to help him.Ó However, she thinks she has received more thanks than her contribution merits.
ÒI think most of us would do something to help someone like that,Ó she says. ÒThe other women are the real heroes. They thought a lot farther ahead than I did.Ó
Meeting a fully recovered Corporal Reid at the Crime Watch ceremony where she received her Certificate of Merit proved the greatest reward for Cunningham.
ÒHis children all came,Ó Cunningham says. ÒThat was the big moment. That made it all worthwhile.Ó
