nootka
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Robert Bernard McMaster died in an automobile accident. He was a police cadet on a ride-along as part of his training requirements to join the Warrenton, OR. city police force. A vehicle pulled out in front of them as they were responding to a call, and the officer that was driving had to steer and brake hard to avoid hitting her. Their car spun out and hit a parked minivan, then slid across the road and fell upside down into a slough near the Warrenton boat basin just at dusk. They had their lights on, but no sirens.
Both were alive as they went in (the driver survived), and Bernie made every attempt to escape, but his neck had been broken at the first vertabra (like Chris Reeve), and his efforts to escape probably made it so he could not move anymore and he drowned in the cold water even though it was just about 4' deep, it filled the car and it was too late, they never could resuscitate him.
He had married my sister just a year or so prior, and they had just found out they were expecting their first baby. He had just finished a tour of duty with the US Coast Guard and was looking so forward to starting with the police and pursuing his ultimate career goal of a ODFW officer (he LOVED fishing and hunting). He was a great guy, and no relation to my husband (same last name) as his family had come from KS.
I was the one that took the call from the hospital at 8 pm that night, as my sister was at work. We had to head to town and go there to tell her, though the hospital did not disclose that he'd died until we were in town, we drove like 90 mph to get there b/c we thought he was alive, hurting, and needing his wife and us to come support him.
I dont' know that anything has ever impacted me like that. Losing a young, vital, healthy man so suddenly. He had been at our house with my sister just a few hours before, so excited about his upcoming ride along. He turned down the invitation to stay and burn brush (we'd just bought this house), and he and my sister had found a couple things for my son that they'd found on their garage sale adventures (it was a Saturday). He had picked a daffodil for my sister at the Falls near our house.
I remember seeing that daffodil in its little vase on top of their tv for a week or so after he'd passed. They remind me of him still and we handed them out to every person that attended his memorial and his subsequent funeral in Whitewater, KS (near Hutchinson, where he lived most of his life). So as they are blooming, now, I think about what could have been. His little daughter was born 7 months later and looked just like him! He would have loved her and she really needs him.
Anyway, we are headed out to the place where it happened to leave a bouquet of daffodils for Bernie. We always go and light off fireworks there on the 4th and we do other things, too, to remember. Other people still leave things there, too.
His name is on the Fraternal Order of Police memorial wall in Washington DC for officers who died in the line of duty:
Fraternal Order of Police Roll Call of Heroes 1996
I always thought he was so safe to be serving in that town of 4000 people, figuring noone would be shooting at him, etc., but goes to show the unexpected is everywhere.
So I guess the moral to this story is to be very aware when you are driving and always yield the right of way to emergency vehicles.
RIP, Bernie, we all miss you so much.
Liz M.
Both were alive as they went in (the driver survived), and Bernie made every attempt to escape, but his neck had been broken at the first vertabra (like Chris Reeve), and his efforts to escape probably made it so he could not move anymore and he drowned in the cold water even though it was just about 4' deep, it filled the car and it was too late, they never could resuscitate him.
He had married my sister just a year or so prior, and they had just found out they were expecting their first baby. He had just finished a tour of duty with the US Coast Guard and was looking so forward to starting with the police and pursuing his ultimate career goal of a ODFW officer (he LOVED fishing and hunting). He was a great guy, and no relation to my husband (same last name) as his family had come from KS.
I was the one that took the call from the hospital at 8 pm that night, as my sister was at work. We had to head to town and go there to tell her, though the hospital did not disclose that he'd died until we were in town, we drove like 90 mph to get there b/c we thought he was alive, hurting, and needing his wife and us to come support him.
I dont' know that anything has ever impacted me like that. Losing a young, vital, healthy man so suddenly. He had been at our house with my sister just a few hours before, so excited about his upcoming ride along. He turned down the invitation to stay and burn brush (we'd just bought this house), and he and my sister had found a couple things for my son that they'd found on their garage sale adventures (it was a Saturday). He had picked a daffodil for my sister at the Falls near our house.
I remember seeing that daffodil in its little vase on top of their tv for a week or so after he'd passed. They remind me of him still and we handed them out to every person that attended his memorial and his subsequent funeral in Whitewater, KS (near Hutchinson, where he lived most of his life). So as they are blooming, now, I think about what could have been. His little daughter was born 7 months later and looked just like him! He would have loved her and she really needs him.
Anyway, we are headed out to the place where it happened to leave a bouquet of daffodils for Bernie. We always go and light off fireworks there on the 4th and we do other things, too, to remember. Other people still leave things there, too.
His name is on the Fraternal Order of Police memorial wall in Washington DC for officers who died in the line of duty:
Fraternal Order of Police Roll Call of Heroes 1996
I always thought he was so safe to be serving in that town of 4000 people, figuring noone would be shooting at him, etc., but goes to show the unexpected is everywhere.
So I guess the moral to this story is to be very aware when you are driving and always yield the right of way to emergency vehicles.
RIP, Bernie, we all miss you so much.
Liz M.
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