Navy Officer Killed on SR16 Monday Jan 23, 2011

This is pretty sad.

Driving to my hospital appointment on Monday was tricky. Deep black ice had set in through out most of the roads in South Kitsap and Tacoma, due to the snow melt, rain, and sudden drip in temp. I had heard that the highway was backed up because of an accident. I figured it was pretty bad because I've seen long stretches of highway and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge freeze over. In fact Sue and I were involved in a multiple car pile up, on the bridge, two years ago that totaled our car and sent Sue to the hospital. We both walked away from that accident, purely by accident.

I passed the accident around 8am looking down on it from a local side road. Looked like a real mess. I remember thinking, "Shit that's bad!"

My friend got a call later in the day from his wife who told him that someone had died in the accident. I got bummed.

Today in the news, I learned that Navy LCDR Regina Mills died in the accident. She had stopped on the side of the road to help someone who had lost control of their motor cycle.  A police officer, the motor cycle driver, and Mills were talking on the side of the road, unhurt, when another car lost control and slammed into the cars pushing them into the group injuring the police officer and motorcyclist, and killing LCDR Mills.

Here's the article from the Kitsap Sun:   Navy Officer Killed on Washington SR 16

LCDR MIlls as interviewed on the PBS documentary "CARRIER"

It always sucks when someone dies. Somehow it feels a little worse when someone dies was helping someone else. 

Campy Out!