Andrew Lamar
California Highway Patrol Officer
California Highway Patrol
4/18/2015
Special Service Award (Silver)
On April 18, 2015, at 1:50 a.m., Officer Andrew Lamar and his partner Officer Brock Veillette received a radio transmission from California Highway Patrol Dispatch of a traffic collision with reported injuries at the Williams Hill recreation area, in an unincorporated area of Monterey County. Upon their arrival at 3:23 a.m., Officer Veillette and his partner were unable to see any victims, but could hear cries for help down the hillside. At great risk to their own safety, Officer Lamar and his partner decided to descend the hillside through the darkness to assess and treat the injured victims. Both officers slid down the steep hillside headfirst on their stomachs through areas that, if not navigated correctly, could have resulted in serious injury or death to both officers. During their descent, the officers were unable to continuously hold their flashlights because their hands were occupied with balancing themselves or grabbing onto objects they could utilize to prevent them from sliding uncontrollably down the hillside. During the officers’ descent, Coastal Division Helicopter 70 arrived on scene and assisted them with locating the injured victims. Approximately 50 feet down the hillside from the roadway, Officer Lamar encountered one deceased passenger from the vehicle. Approximately 250 feet further down the steep hillside, Officer Lamar encountered an additional passenger from the vehicle who sustained major injuries to his leg and head. Officer Lamar remained with the wounded passenger while Officer Veillette continued down the hillside to search for additional victims. Officer Lamar remained with the wounded passenger for an additional four hours until Mercy Air Helicopter 20 and CHP Coastal Division Helicopter 70 returned to evacuate the injured. As a result of this incident, the passenger sustained lacerations to his forehead and the back of his head, and a complaint of pain to his leg and arm, but survived the collision.
With no regard for his own safety, Officer Lamar’s heroic service helped to save the life of a traffic collision victim trapped on a steep hillside.
The State of California takes great pride in presenting this Silver Medal of Valor to California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Lamar.