Lakewood Police Honored For Saving Woman's Life During Fire

LAKEWOOD, OH — Two Lakewood police officers received the city's Lifesaving Award on Tuesday. Patrol Officer Ryan Summerville and Patrol Office Bryan McNeeley helped save a woman's life after she suffered deep cuts from breaking through a window to escape an apartment building fire on March 5. The officers helped stem the bleeding from lacerated arteries and tendons on the woman's arms.

Police Chief Timothy Malley had this to say about the two men, "Their actions exemplify what we do, protect the public. Both officers have represented themselves and the Lakewood Police Department extraordinarily and are well deserving of the Life Saving Award.”

According to Malley's proclamation, McNeeley and Summerville arrived at the scene of an apartment fire in at 12520 Arliss at about 3 a.m. The two officers found a woman that had broken through a window to escape the blaze. But, when she got through the glass, she had suffered deep and serious cuts on her arms. Summerville applied a tourniquet to her left arm and McNeeley applied direct pressure on her right arm. They kept administering first aid to the woman until the Paramedics arrived.

Fire personnel for the city said that without their first aid, the woman may have died from her injuries. In fact, the woman reportedly had to have surgery to repair her lacerated arteries and tendons.

"Based on the observations of the fire personnel Officers Summerville and McNeeley were instrumental in saving this person’s life," Malley said.

Eight people were taken to the hospital on March 5 because of that apartment fire, including a 6-month-old baby. Most of the injuries were non-life-threatening. The fire started in the complex's basement and was eventually contained on the first floor.

Four people had to be rescued through windows at the apartment building and four more were pulled from stairwells. Neighboring fire departments were called in to help extinguish the blaze, including Westlake and Rocky River fire departments.

Nine people had to find temporary shelter after the fire.

Photo from Shutterstock