Trooper, street sweeper honored by Kirkland Council to saving motorcyclist’s life

Published 4:29 pm Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The city of Kirkland and the Kirkland Fire Department presented the Citizen Hero Award to Washington State Patrol Trooper Anna Gasser and Kris Hardie from Best Parking Lot Cleaning for their quick actions at an incident on the I-405 freeway in Kirkland.

Both were given certificates and honored by council members during the Kirkland City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Gasser was parked on the shoulder of southbound I-405 at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2014 when a large object slid across the road and came to rest in front of her vehicle. She then noticed a person in lane two rolling toward her vehicle, attempting to get out of the lanes of traffic.

The man had been involved in a motorcycle accident and it was his bike that had slid in front of her vehicle. As a result of the accident, his left leg was amputated from the knee down.

At the same time, Kris Hardie was operating a street sweeper in the northbound lanes of I-405 and witnessed the accident. He parked his vehicle and made his way across the southbound lanes on foot. He assisted Gasser in applying a tourniquet to the injured motorcyclist’s leg.

The duo contacted 911 for emergency response and initiated life-saving measures to control the bleeding of the wounded man.

“Gasser and Hardie’s quick response and heroic actions contributed greatly to the injured man’s survival until Kirkland Fire arrived on the scene,” a release from the city stated.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Anna Gasser and street sweeper Kris Hardie are honored by the Kirkland City Council on Tuesday.