Police Commend Maumee Girl For Action After Accident
BY NANCY GAGNET — MIRROR REPORTER
Along a 10-mile stretch of icy highway near Mansfield, Ohio, last February, Amanda Lutz lost control of her car, causing it to flip and crash into the median.
The accident left her with an open gash on her forehead, but her 5-year-old daughter Mari, who was strapped safely in a five-point harness car seat, remained unscathed.
“It was pretty scary,” young Mari said as she recalled seeing her mother bleeding and unconscious after the accident.
A passerby who happened upon the scene called 911 and within minutes, crews were getting them both to the hospital.
Mari, who was a kindergartner at Wayne Trail Elementary School at the time of the accident, provided pertinent information to those at the scene including her name, address and phone number, along with the name of her teacher and school.
Amanda was treated at a local hospital and was released later that day. Mari was praised for her ability to provide the vital information necessary to contact family members in Maumee.
“I figured she would do good,” said her great-grandmother Maude Pendelton, who is credited with teaching Mari to remember her phone number and address.
“Safety City helped me a lot too,” Mari said.
Maumee Police Sgt. T.J. Stratton presented Mari with the Citizen Commendation Award during a ceremony at Wayne Trail, and in February Mari will be honored at the Maumee Police Division awards banquet.
“This little girl really kept her wits about her,” Stratton said. “She was so brave and she handled it so well.”
Mari lives with her mother as well as her grandmother, Molly Lutz, and her great-grandmother in their Maumee home.
Amanda acknowledged that the accident frightened her young daughter.
“It scared her. She didn’t want to see me hurt,” she said.
Referring to Mari as “very observant,” Amanda said the two often travel together.
“Mari’s a lot of fun. She likes trying new things,” she said.
At the time of the accident, they were going to spend a weekend at Snow Trails Ski Resort.
They recently enjoyed a seven-day Disney cruise and later this summer plan to travel to Cedar Point, the Cleveland Zoo and Kings Island.
They also plan to take another cruise in the fall, and next year they will go to Europe for a 14-day vacation.
Maumee, Perrysburg Prepare For July 3 Fireworks Extravaganza
There will be plenty of activity in uptown Maumee on Friday, July 3, as the cities of Maumee and Perrysburg prepare for their annual Independence Day fireworks celebration.
The fireworks begin at 10:00 p.m., but the fun will start at 5:00 p.m., when the Maumee Uptown Business Association presents its annual community picnic in the 100 block of East Wayne Street.
Brats, hot dogs and ice cream will be sold. Kids’ games and live music by Johnny Rodriguez also will be featured. The party takes place until 9:00 p.m.
Further down Conant Street, the owners of Red Wells and Ragtime Rick’s will sponsor live music by the Cake Walkin’ Jass Band beginning at 8:30 p.m.
The band will play at the corner of Conant and Broadway until the fireworks begin, then head back to Ragtime Rick’s at 301 River Rd. to continue the celebration.
At St. Joseph Catholic Church, 104 W. Broadway, the booster club will sponsor its annual pre-fireworks celebration with food, refreshments and kids’ games.
The celebration takes place from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. in the church parking lot, just up Conant Street from the Fort Meigs Memorial Bridge, where the fireworks display will be launched.
The bridge will be closed to both pedestrians and vehicles from 8:00 to 11:30 p.m., and vehicular traffic will be prohibited on Conant Street from the bridge to US 24.
The detour route will be either east or westbound on US 24 at Conant Street.
Spectators will be allowed to sit in the middle of Conant Street between Broadway Street and the bridge as well as in the 200 block of Conant Street to view the display.
A safety route for emergency vehicles will be established in the southbound curb lane of Conant Street from Wayne Street to the bridge. Pedestrians will not be allowed within this safety route. No one will be allowed to sit in the street outside of the designated areas.
The Maumee police also issued a statement reminding residents to leave the fireworks to the professionals: “It is prohibited within the city to ignite or discharge fireworks that are launched or have a report (make a noise).”
The rain date for the fireworks celebration will be Sunday, July 5.
These are sample articles that ran in The Mirror Newspaper.
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