(WJAR) — A 2009 crash on the Washington Bridge led to a reunion between a crash survivor and the responding Rhode Island State Trooper.
On July 4, 2009, Lauren Malloy and three friends were stopped in traffic when a speeding driver rear-ended their vehicle. “The lights behind me were coming up way too fast; I told my friends to brace themselves,” Malloy recalled.
According to Malloy, a trooper was at her window within seconds. Seventeen years later, while cleaning out her garage, Malloy discovered the old crash report and recognized the responding officer's name: Sgt. Dan O'Neill.
Malloy now serves as a K-9 handler with Rhode Island Canine Search and Rescue, frequently working alongside O'Neill. “I'd always wished that I could have thanked that trooper,” she said.
Sgt. O'Neill remarked on the unforeseen impact of his response. “You don't realize what effect you have on people until something like this happens,” he stated.
Today, Malloy and her K-9 Evie assist in searches for missing persons across Rhode Island, often alongside the trooper who helped her during her time of need.