Officer

California Highway Patrol

8/29/2000

Special Act Award (Gold)

California Highway Patrol Officer Jeffrey Gartner performed an act of heroism at great risk to his own safety, in an attempt to rescue a victim of a heart attack from a moving tractor-trailer combination. At approximately 8:49 a.m., on August 29, 2000, Officer Jeffrey Gartner was southbound on US 101, approaching Willow Road in heavy commute traffic, when he encountered a commercial vehicle drifting out of the lane in an erratic manner. Officer Gartner recognized the driver was unconscious and the 30,000-pound vehicle was proceeding down the road out of control. The vehicle had already careened off the concrete sound wall twice and struck a call box sign. Officer Gartner, deciding it was too dangerous to allow the vehicle to continue, drove ahead and blocked the path to the Willow Road off-ramp. He ran back to the vehicle and leaped onto the moving tractor. With only seconds to act, Officer Gartner brought the commercial vehicle to a stop within 10 feet of his patrol vehicle. Officer Gartner, with the assistance of a good Samaritan, extricated the driver from the cab of the tractor. During Officer Gartner’s assessment of the driver, he realized he was in cardiac arrest. Officer Gartner immediately administered cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on the side of the road during commute traffic until the Menlo Park Fire Department arrived to take over patient care. The driver was then transported to Stanford Hospital for medical treatment and observation. Despite Officer Gartner’s valiant efforts, the driver passed away several days later.