Heroes Spotlight

courtesy of ABC News

For nearly 10 minutes on Monday, Officer Kevin Peck laid underneath a
bus holding the hand of a young woman suffering from severe injuries
after being hit by and pinned under the city bus. Aryann Smith, 24, was
crossing the street in West Valley City, Utah, on the way to see her son
when a bus making a left turn struck her, trapping
her under its front wheel.

Officer Peck was at the scene 30 seconds later, after a fellow officer
who had just driven past the accident called for his help. “At first, I
couldn’t tell what was going on,” Peck told ABC News. “Then, I walked up
to the bus and I saw her tennis shoe poking out from under the wheel.”
She was far enough under that he couldn’t see the rest of her body, so
he got on the ground and crawled toward her to see if she was
breathing and check her pulse.

“I had to go past her leg and I could see that her right knee and thigh
were completely opened up, just peeled back. I could see right into her
leg,” Peck said, adding that her shoulders were pinned so that she
could breathe but couldn’t move. Peck held her hand and asked her
where the pain was, and then talked to her about other things to keep
her conscious and keep her mind off the accident. Smith asked about
her injuries, but Peck told her not to try to look down.

“She said several times that she was really scared, but she maintained
her composure very well. She was pretty calm and asked me not to
leave her,” Peck said. “I told her I would stay with her until we got her
out.” The fire department arrived in minutes and used wooden blocks
and a hydraulic tool to lift the bus up a few inches
so a firefighter could pull her out.

After she was taken to the hospital, Peck was left standing in the busy
intersection, where, after a moment of standing in “a daze,” he picked
up with his work and began directing traffic around the accident scene.
Smith is not expected to lose her legs, and Peck said the only thing that
was broken was her kneecap. He was able to visit her Wednesday in the
hospital, where she has been moved from the ICU to post-op recovery.

“I guess she asked about me a few times before and after the surgery,”
Peck said. “I’m glad I was able to see her. She has a few more surgeries
ahead of her, but she is doing well, all things considered. The doctors
say she should make a full recovery and be able to walk again.”

West Valley City Police Sgt. Mike Powell said the bus driver has been
placed on administrative leave and was cited for failure to yield to a
pedestrian in a crosswalk. He added that the Utah Transit Authority has
been cooperative with police and is conducting its own investigation.

Peck responds to a lot of accidents in the course of his duties, but said
this one was different. “At times, the job can become mundane. Then,
every once in a while, something touches you more than the others. It
reminds you why you became a police officer,” he said.

“All across the country, officers do things like this every day,” he added.
“It’s part of the job.”

For he is the minister of God to thee for good.
But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he
beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the
minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath
upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must
needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for
conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye
tribute also: for they are God's ministers,
attending continually upon this very thing.
Romans 13:4-6

HEROES SPOTLIGHT
A place to shine the positive light on our police officers that they
deserve, rather than what is seen so many times on TV.
(Articles, or writings are updated periodically)

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