MANSFIELD – John Lapeer just wanted to help.
That was the thought running through his mind when he came upon the scene of an accident across from his home at Brickman and Park Avenue. A Jeep had overturned, and a man was trapped underneath the vehicle.
“I was just thinking about getting that guy out of the car,” Lapeer said.
Within minutes of arriving on the scene, Lapeer had gathered a group of bystanders to assist Mansfield Detective Dave Scheurer in lifting the vehicle off the trapped person. Thanks in part to Lapeer’s actions, the victim of the crash survived.
Those heroic minutes were honored on Tuesday with a surprise commendation from the Mansfield Police Department. Lapeer arrived to his job as a maintenance worker for St. Mary of the Snows Catholic School in Mansfield to a round of applause from the entire school.
“It’s always a pleasure for us to be able to recognize citizens that engage with law enforcement to try to make the community better,” said Mansfield Police Chief Ken Coontz. “It’s great when an officer needs help and a citizen recognizes that they have the ability to assist law enforcement in getting things done.”
According to Scheurer, he was driving home from work one evening in early December when he happened to glance to his right and see a Jeep in mid-air on Brickman Avenue.
“I got out, saw what needed to be done, called in to the base station and reported a person trapped under the vehicle,” Scheurer said. “There was a lot of confusion, people walking around that had been thrown out of the vehicle. I could see there was a guy trapped under the vehicle with the Jeep resting on his head.”
Scheurer knew he needed to free the man from being crushed by the vehicle. That’s when Lapeer appeared.
“I was just listening to the radio and I heard this big bang, and you just don’t hear that in a neighborhood like that,” Lapeer recalled. “I ran out to see what it was, and I saw Scheurer out there and I recognized him, and I saw a vehicle on its side. I ran out there, and saw there was a gentleman hanging out of the car with the car on top of him.”
At that moment, Lapeer’s 20 years of experience with the Washington Township Fire Department kicked in. He looked around for something to put underneath the vehicle, but came up empty. Then he spotted the bystanders.
“I saw five other people and waved them over, and said let’s give it a good shove,” Lapeer said. “We shoved it over and pulled the guy out.”
According to Scheurer, the man was flown to Columbus for treatment for his injuries. After a few weeks’ stay in the hospital, he has been released and is alive. The investigation involving the accident is still pending.
“I was happy to see John,” Scheurer said. “I didn’t need to tell him what to do, we both knew what needed to be done.”
Lapeer’s actions were celebrated with cake on Tuesday morning with the students from St. Mary, where he has worked in maintenance and custodial for the past five years. The celebration came as a total surprise.
“I didn’t expect any of this,” Lapeer said. “I’m just there to help whoever needed help.”
Lapeer was presented with a special commendation plaque on behalf of the Mansfield Police Department and Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker. The commendation thanks Lapeer for helping save the life of the trapped man, “without hesitation or fear for your own safety.”
“Today is a great moment for us,” Coontz said. “We hope what you did encourages other citizens within the city of Mansfield and Richland County to get involved when they see their assistance could be helpful.”
