Patrol presents meritorious service awards

By NICHOLAS LEDDEN

The Daily Inter Lake

The day was cold and the pavement slick when Janet Peterson lost control of her car last January. She was southbound on U.S. 93 near Happy Valley when her car slid into the oncoming lane of traffic and struck another car head on.

The 61-year-old Whitefish woman wasn't wearing a seat belt, and was ejected out of the passenger door.

Valerie McKay stopped to help.

Peterson, a teacher at Russell School in Kalispell, was unresponsive and not breathing when McKay began to give her CPR.

Despite McKay's best efforts and the efforts of rescue personnel, Peterson died at the scene.

"She gave her the best possible chance of survival," said Montana Highway Patrol trooper Jerril Ren, who investigated the accident.

For that, the Montana Highway Patrol recognized McKay on Wednesday afternoon with a meritorious service award.

"I don't think there was a lot of time to think," said McKay, of Columbia Falls. "It was just a matter of doing."

"I think to declare that someone couldn't be helped wasn't my call," she said.

Trooper Ren, who presented the award, praised McKay's conscious concern for human life.

"If we didn't have people like [her] out there willing to stop, more people would be dead or injured," he said. "[She] attempted to do CPR on her with complete disregard for her own safety."

McKay learned CPR about 25 years ago, and had never used it in an emergency situation since then, she said.

"They've only got a handful of minutes, and by the time you get there maybe not even that," McKay said. "I don't think I'm a hero or deserve any type of award."

Ren disagreed.

"I thought that was pretty heroic," he said.

McKay also said she was saddened her actions couldn't help Peterson in the end.

"It was a very sad and depressing thing," she said, adding that she now knows a little bit about what police officers must take home at the end of the day. "Not being able to help her was sad, and I sure didn't expect an award for that."

Meritorious service awards aren't bestowed on civilians very often. Ren hasn't presented one in his seven years with the highway patrol, he said, and no more than one or two are given out every year statewide.

Stopping to help an injured person wasn't out of the ordinary for his wife, said McKay's husband, Denney Haack. He said she was raised that way.

"She just wanted to do the best she could, and that's what Valerie does," he said.

In the future, McKay will carry some emergency medical equipment in the car in case she ever comes across someone who needs help again, she said.

Soon after presenting McKay with her award, trooper Jerril Ren received one of his own.

In April 2004, Ren attempted to save the life of a suicide victim. The suicide victim had already shot himself when Ren arrived on scene, and later died from his wound, but Ren attempted CPR anyway.

Ren, a highway patrol veteran of seven years, was given the Richard D. Hedstrom award, named after a Montana Highway Patrol trooper who died in the line of duty.

"It was pretty obvious that my attempts were fruitless, but I had to at least try," said Ren, adding that it was part of his duty.

"I feel like I shouldn't be awarded for something that's my job," said Ren, who added he felt honored to be among the group of troopers who have received this award.

But Ren's superiors believed he did more than the average trooper would.

"In my opinion, he went above and beyond the call of duty," said highway patrol Sgt. Steve Lavin, who presented the award.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com