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Deputy rescues DUI suspect at Sagle crossing Posted: Wednesday, Sep 03, 2008 - 10:06:15 am PDT By KEITH KINNAIRD News editor
SAGLE - A Bonner County Sheriff's deputy used his patrol vehicle to push a car containing an unresponsive driver out of the path of an oncoming train early Saturday morning. Deputy Aaron Flynn is being hailed as a hero by a witness and Erin Ellis Wert, the 31-year-old woman inside the Subaru, is facing a charge of driving under the influence."In my opinion, Deputy Flynn is a hero," said Vicky Groeper, who watched the incident unfold. "If he had hesitated, it would have ended very badly." Groeper, a 35-year-old Daily Bee carrier from Sagle, came across Wert's vehicle shortly before 1:30 a.m. on the BNSF Railway crossing on Bottle Bay Road. The Subaru was stopped on the tracks and Groeper noticed the woman was slumped over.
"She did lift up her head, but she didn't open her eyes," said Groeper. Groeper said her fraying nerves were soothed by the sight of the red and blue emergency flashers on Flynn's rig. But her relief was short-lived. "I looked down the tracks and I could see a train coming," she said. From Groeper's vantage point, Flynn's lights and the lights of the southbound locomotive appeared to be equidistant from the crossing. She said Flynn raced up to the crossing, pushed Wert's vehicle out of the way and continued across with little time to spare. "In my mind, it was just mere seconds before that train came barreling through there," said Groeper, who was astonished nobody was struck. Groeper was also astonished by Flynn's modesty. When she called him a hero, he redirected the praise and thanked her for making the call to dispatch to summon help. Flynn's actions are not going unnoticed by his superiors, according to Sheriff Elaine Savage, who said the deputy will be honored at an upcoming commendation ceremony. "He did a good job - a great job, in fact," Savage said of Flynn, who's been with the force since 2005. It was only a coincidence Groeper was at the crossing at that particular time. She said she happened to be running about 10 minutes ahead of schedule and decided to head out early rather than wait around to start her rounds. Groeper suspected the woman had fallen asleep at the crossing waiting for an earlier train to pass and somehow managed to wind up on the tracks. Groeper noticed a balloon bouquet in the woman's vehicle. Wert's birthday was Saturday, court records indicate. She bonded out of the county jail and her case file remains sealed until she makes an initial court appearance. al k wrote on Sep 4, 2008 10:48 AM: " Bill, Yes,as you suppose there were many things vicky could of done, I wasn,t critiseing her, but due to the circumstance that an oncoming train was heading that way, and the very few minutes to spare, wouldn't it have been proper to have drove the car off the tracks, the officer had only moments to act when he arrived due to the circumstances, every one reacts their own way due to circumstance, no one was at fault, they both done somthing, right,and no tradegy/fatality, so why are we bickering?? " Bill Litsinger wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:17 AM: " To: al k, I suppose there we're many things that Vicky Groeper could have done. She could have taken this stupid drunk out of her car, taken her to her own home, sobered her up , given her a hot mealand then enrolled her in a 12 step program. A Monday morning quarterback never throws an interception. Give credit where credit is due. I say they both did a great job. More excellence on the part of the front line deputies at BCSD. " repeat repeater wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:17 AM: " way to go officer..and paper lady, you did what some would NOT have done..... " repeat repeater wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:16 AM: " Joel this is Sandpoint...Bonner County...It don't matter how many DUI's she has....Are you kidding me, after this she'll be back on the roads again, hopefully next tiem it won't end with a tradgedy, sad to think about it, but for sure they'll be a next time....... " Joel wrote on Sep 4, 2008 7:52 AM: " She just got out of jail,got drunk,and headed for a date with the Grim Reaper. We are lucky she did not kill someone on her way to the tracks. She is lucky to be alive thanks to a hero. How many DUI;s does she have? " al k wrote on Sep 4, 2008 6:59 AM: " One would of thought that the carrier would of taken this unresposive driver out of her car and drove it off the tracks while awaiting the deputy to get there,since she could open the door and attempt to rouse the driver, that would of been the proper thing to do. had the deputy been a couple of minutes later we all know what the results would of been. " wow wrote on Sep 4, 2008 1:30 AM: " Just another example of excellence. Thank you, Deputy Flynn, for saving a life. Thank you, Vicky, for doing the right thing. And thank you, Keith, for bringing it to our attention. " POST YOUR OPINION
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Bonner County Daily Bee
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Bonner County Daily Bee Online is updated daily at 10am PST.
from sun valley wrote on Sep 6, 2008 9:54 AM: