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Bothell woman says Wash. trooper risked his safety to save her

BOTHELL, Wash. — Susan McNeely described the sound her SUV was making last Friday during the afternoon commute.

"I kept hearing this pump-poom, pump, pomm," said McNeely.

What she was hearing was her SUV scraping the median as she traveled in the northbound high occupancy vehicle lane on Interstate 405.

"I remember reaching down and feeling my hand and feeling I couldn't really feel it," said McNeely.

She was having a stroke.  "My whole left side was paralyzed," she said.

Washington State Trooper Lance Ramsay spotted McNeely's out-of-control vehicle.

"The car was actually veering off the road," said Lt. Jason Longoria, who first told KIRO 7 the story.  "And he went to try to stop it and activated his lights and wasn't getting any kind of response from the driver."

Ramsay then drove alongside her.

"And looked inside the car and could see that the driver was actually, head was slumped down forward," said Longoria. Ramsay decided he had to stop her.

"So he moved his patrol car in front of that car while they're traveling north on I-405," Longoria said.

"While they were both moving?" he was asked.

"Exactly."

McNeely said "The next thing I remember was somebody trying to get into the car."

Within minutes, she was on her way to Harborview Medical Center.  "Within two hours, they had the clot removed," she said.

"So that's why you look and sound the way you do now?" she was asked.

"Yes, yes," she said. "Because of the medical attention and the quickness of everyone. They were all amazing."

Dan McNeely has this message for Trooper Ramsay.

"Thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty," he said, his voice breaking.  "And he saved my wife's life."

Trooper Ramsay was injured in the incident and went to a local hospital.

When we asked to talk to him, he declined.  He said he had just been doing his job.  He is thankful McNeeley is doing OK and is back with her family.