‘I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary’
She’s been called a Good Samaritan, even a hero, but those terms make senior Jessica Pavelka uncomfortable. Strongsville, Ohio, Police Officer Jason Miller might think differently.
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In the early-morning hours Monday (June 8), on her way home, Jessica was driving through the Millstream Reservation, not her typical route to her Berea home. Ahead, she saw a police cruiser parked on the side of the road with its lights flashing. She slowed down to avoid debris in the road and as she drove by, she noticed a person laying on the ground, next to the police vehicle. Her initial thoughts were that the officer was assisting someone on the ground, but something didn’t add up.“I looped back around and pulled up next to the car and saw the police officer on the ground next to the car,” she recalls.
Jessica immediately sprung into action, calling 9-1-1. With the help of a very calm dispatcher, Jessica checked to see if the officer, eight-year veteran Miller, was conscious and if he was breathing, and although she has Red Cross training, she was unable to determine either. “I was so scared because I couldn’t tell,” she says, noting that she couldn’t see any visible injuries.
Within a few seconds, a second officer arrived on the scene, and Miller was soon transported to the hospital. He was treated and released the next morning with minor injuries.
Strongsville police and Cleveland Metroparks Rangers are trying to identify the hit-and-run driver who struck the officer. Shortly before Jessica came upon the accident, officers had been at the scene to investigate a previous accident. Officer Miller, 34, had stopped to offer assistance, and had stayed behind to clear debris from the road when he was struck.
Now, several days later, Jessica’s life is returning to normal. She’s been interviewed by several Cleveland television stations – a role reversal for the public relations major -- and has been labeled a Good Samaritan. But any focus on her actions is misplaced, she says.
“From my perspective, the incident was about a cop, doing his job, who took a hit, but he’s doing better now. That’s where the focus should be. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.
“I feel like I did what anyone would have done. It didn’t matter that he was an officer. He takes a risk every time he puts on a uniform and goes to work. He would have done the same, had the roles been reversed,” she says.
Jessica had hoped to visit Officer Miller in the hospital, but he had already been released. For that, she’s grateful. She says she would still like the opportunity to meet him.
Posted on June 9, 2009