Danville native comes to the rescue

By Bernard Baker

Published: June 28, 2008

Jamie Parrish had no reason to think her drive home after work would be anything but routine.

Late one night earlier this month, Parrish’s shift was over at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and she was heading back to her apartment, using Interstate 64 as the fastest way to get home. Traffic is normally heavy at this time of the hour, but that night conditions were much more light.

“I drove into a little curve and came up on a car that flipped over,” Parrish said, adding she pulled her car off the highway and went to investigate.

Parrish said she could see someone was in the car as she approached, but the sports car was in the middle of the interstate.

“It nighttime,” Parrish said. “The car was dark. We could have been hit.”

The former Danville resident said she has been in a similar situation as the young man in the car. Parrish, a 2003 George Washington High School graduate, was in a car accident off Mount Cross Road when she was 16. She was trapped in the car and wanted to get out.

Parrish said what she went through that night helped her deal with the accident on I-64.

“Instinct kicked in,” Parrish said. “I’ve got to help him.”

She said she tried to reassure the man that he was going to be OK as she pulled him out of the car. Parrish said she told the victim to listen to her voice and they would get out fine.

The man had a fairly mangled arm and complained of aches and pains throughout his body. Parrish said she listened to his breathing pattern to determine if he was having any problems. Luckily, he didn’t.

Parrish kept the man’s neck from moving around until rescue units arrived. Parrish said she reassured him that he would be OK.

“Look at me, I’ve been there,” Parrish said she told the man.

The medical student said she held his hand until the ambulance door was about to close. He told Parrish she was his angel and he kissed her hand.

Parrish tried to locate him the next day, but he had been discharged from the hospital.

Parrish said the incident reaffirmed her decision to study medicine. She is scheduled to graduate from medical school in about a year and hopes to continue working with MCV.

Contact Bernard Baker at or at (434) 791-7986.