Friday, November 29, 2013 | North Kitsap Herald
Kocker
Continued from page A1 “It was a huge splash,” Kocker said. “We thought, ‘What was that?’ ” Shortly, they came upon a cluster of cars and a semi truck pulled off to the side of the road. “Down this ravine, in this pond, we saw a car facing the opposite way, bobbing in the water,” Kocker said. “My husband quickly pulled off onto the shoulder.” Matthew and others got their cell phones out to call 911 while James jumped out of the car and sprinted to the edge of the pond. Between James and the sinking car was a barbed wire fence. “We couldn’t get through the fence,” Kocker said. But they knew the car entered the pond somehow, and at a high rate of
speed. James searched the shoreline. Approximately 40 yards away he discovered where the car had crashed through the fence. He entered and began taking off his shoes and jacket. James is a former first responder from the Los Angeles Fire Department, and was a lifeguard as a teenager, though he hadn’t put his skills into practice for many years. He said he was going in. “The car was sinking and it was sinking quickly,” Kocker said. “Jim waded into the water and swam out about 50 feet.” The water was deep black and muddy, and it was very cold. The air temperature was around 40 degrees, typical for eastern Washington in October. At this point, the water line was above the wheel wells, approximately six inches from the windows, Kocker said.
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James reached the car and saw one man inside. He called to the driver but got no response. “He yelled [to me], ‘Honey, he’s unconscious but he moved his head,’ ” Kocker said. “So we knew he was alive.” The water pressure prevented James from opening the doors. Even so, he figured that if he did open the door, water would flood into the car and it would sink even faster before he could get the man out. James swam back to the shore, looking for something to break a window out. Kocker said that other witnesses on the shore were still hesitant, warning not to break the window or move the man in the car. A state trooper, Jay Farmer, arrived at the scene. “Before he was going back in we heard sirens,” Kocker said. “I told Jim not
to go back because he was blue, he was so cold.” Trooper Farmer ran down the ravine to meet them. “At that point the entire front of the car just plummeted,” Kocker said. “It went right under water. The two front windows went under water.” James knew that the driver, strapped in with a seatbelt, was likely going under the water soon if he hadn’t already. Farmer handed James his baton before running around the fence himself. James swam back to the sinking car, climbed onto the rear end and began swinging at the rear window. As he struck through the glass, the interior pressure changed, water flooded inside and the car leveled off. About 4 inches of the car’s roof was now visible above the water. James swam to the driv-
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er’s door and was able to pull it open. He went under the water and swam inside. “The water was just black, you couldn’t see anything,” Kocker said. He unbuckled the driver’s seat belt, pulled him out, and brought him to the surface. “He coughed up all that muddy water,” Kocker said. With the driver in his arms, James swam back to shore where the trooper and medics were waiting. It was uncertain why the man’s car crashed, but Kocker said they later found out that an epileptic seizure may have caused him to drive off the road. The Kockers didn’t find out the driver’s name, Anthony Scott Johnson, until later when they saw a TV news story about the crash. Trooper Farmer heralded James’ actions to reporters. The news traveled far.
The Carnegie Corporation of New York, a philanthropic non-profit, is considering James Kocker for a Carnegie Medal, honoring civilians that perform acts of heroism. As for Johnson — he survived, and will celebrate his 31st birthday this month.
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From left, Coffee Oasis case manager Donna Pledger and DME Auto Service owner Keith Russell congratulate Anthony Woelke on his completion of an internship. Woelke said the internship spurred him to enroll at Northern Arizona University to study mechanical engineering. Richard D. Oxley / Herald
Woelke
Continued from page A1 good to have too.” Coffee Oasis’ program led Woelke to Poulsbo’s DME Auto Service, where he got his hands greasy working under the hood. At first, Woelke learned the ropes around the garage, doing oil changes and shadowing mechanics. Eventually, it came up in conversation that Woelke’s family had a rundown 1950 International truck at
home, gathering rust. “From that point on, the internship was (about) getting it up and running,” Woelke said. The truck arrived at the garage on a trailer; Woelke drove it home last week. He worked on the brakes, rear end, differential, ignition system and the engine to get the old truck running and roadworthy. Woelke said he knows the truck inside and out now — and knows the direction he wants to take in his life.
Poulsbo Noon Lions Club administers the fund for the Raab Foundation. The Poulsbo Lions/Raab Foundation Bellringer Fund turns the funds over to North Kitsap Fishline and St. Vincent de Paul, which use the money to provide food, emergency shelter and emergency financial assistance to North Kitsap residents in need. Donations are taxdeductible. The fund helps at least 300 families a year, Macdonald said. Because of donations to the Poulsbo Lions/Raab Foundation Bellringer Fund, “We’re able to stretch what we’re doing for people in crisis — whether it’s paying rent, mortgage, or utilities,” said Rae Rodriguez, Fishline’s client services manager. “It used to be that folks would come in because of an issue, now it’s because of multiple issues. We’ve been in crisis mode for a couple of years, and we’ve probably tripled our client load since then.” The Poulsbo Lions/Raab Foundation keeps $5,000 in reserve, to use in the event of a “major catastrophe” during the year, Macdonald said. In addition, some proceeds are used to provide Christmas food baskets for 100 local families. Donations are accepted year-round for the fund — P.O. Box 1244, Poulsbo
“We’re able to stretch what we’re doing for people in crisis.” — Rae Rodriguez, North Kitsap Fishline
98370. Donations can also be delivered to the North Kitsap Herald, 19351 8th Ave., Suite 106, Poulsbo. Donations are tax-deductible. Week 2 donors n William and Helene
Schmidt: $200. n Kiwanis Club of Greater Poulsbo Foundation: $2,000, in honor and memory of Dr. Roscoe Heins. n Rosemary and Dolph Jaeger: $1,000, in memory of Elaine Hillier. n Christi and Mike: $100, in memory of loved ones. n The Stottlemeyers: $200, in memory of Art DeCarufel and Ellen & Wally Stottlemeyer. To-date total: $4,600
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