Officer

California Highway Patrol

10/17/1989

Special Act Award (Gold)

At approximately 5:00 pm, Officer Mueller was conducting an undercover surveillance in the area of the I-880 Cypress Freeway Overpass when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. Officer Mueller responded immediately to the disaster scene, utilized his emergency medical technician skills to provide emergency medical care and established a triage area at ground level. After assisting numerous injured persons on the ground, Officer Mueller commandeered a forklift to lift him onto the upper deck of the unstable structure and assist numerous people to a place of safety below. Frequent aftershocks were occurring and the structure continued to settle. Without regard for his own safety, Officer Mueller crawled into an area of the collapsed structure where the clearance had been reduced to a height of approximately three feet. Among the broken glass and rubble, the officer located two seriously injured victims trapped in separate vehicles and dragged each of them to a place of safety on top of the structure. Officer Mueller then joined the victims and provided lifesaving assistance until emergency medical personal arrived at the scene.