North Las Vegas police officers thanked a Good Samaritan on Tuesday for stopping to help a fellow officer injured during a hit-and-run crash along Interstate 15.
KVVU reported that on Monday evening, a North Las Vegas police officer was traveling southbound on I-15 when a driver hit his motorcycle and fled the scene. According to Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Chelsea Stuenkel, the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. at the Washington Avenue off-ramp.
KCEP FM 99 radio personality Miles Farlow was driving along I-15 when he witnessed the car in front of him clip the tire of the police motorcycle, flipping the officer off his bike.
“Subsequently, the officer went flying at least 30 yards, 90 feet,” Farlow said, adding that the officer’s head hit the concrete barrier wall.
According to KTNV, Farlow knew he had to help so he pulled over and ran to the aid of officer. “I wasn’t really scared. I wasn’t worried about anything besides getting him safe because he couldn’t help. It was the whole survival, humanity thing that came into play because I’m big on humans helping,” he said.
As they waited for assistance to arrive, Farlow calmed the 45-year-old, 18-year veteran of the department.
Farlow wasn’t the only person who stopped to help. Michael Gutierrez and his girlfriend saw the officer drive by before the crash. Like Farlow, he did not think twice about stopping to help.
“I began to pray for him. He squeezed my hand, and we just tried to make sure he was ok,” Gutierrez said.
The North Las Vegas police chief thanked Farlow personally for his assistance of the officer.
Farlow said he doesn’t consider himself a hero, saying he was just doing what anyone should do in this type of situation. “It hurts, and it’s shocking to realize there are so few people in this world that will actually do that, that will actually put their life on the line to help another life,” he said.
Witnesses have described the vehicle that struck the officer as a four-door sedan that may have been green.
The motorcycle officer suffered non-life threatening injuries and is expected to recover.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Nevada Highway Patrol at 702-432-5293 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
