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| Sgt. Wing Woo, Shoreline Police officer injured in Hawaii Photo courtesy B-Town Blog |
Sgt. Wing Woo – who served as Mayor of Burien from 2002-2003 – was involved in a tragic accident this week while vacationing with his family in Maui.
Reports are that Woo and his 14-year old son were bodysurfing when he was hit by a large wave. He apparently hit his head on the ocean floor, sustaining life-threatening injuries. Woo was knocked unconscious before being found by his son moments later – lifeless and unresponsive.
When pulled from the water by his son, lifesaving efforts began immediately. Woo had no pulse and had, for all intents and purposes, drowned. He went into full cardiac arrest during CPR, but after several attempts they were able to get a pulse. He was transported to Maui Memorial in a coma. Woo had ingested a considerable amount of sand and seawater, which quickly became the emergent threat to his life. Due to his extremely unstable condition, doctors were not able to perform additional necessary testing until three days after the initial accident.
Woo remained in a coma until Monday, June 27. When he was considered stable enough to breathe on his own for the duration of the 45+ minute MRI, tests were done. The MRI showed brain activity and good heart condition. However, it also showed considerable swelling on his spine. At this time, Sgt. Woo has limited mobility below the neck. The full prognosis regarding his movement is unclear at this time.
Woo is a Mount Rainier High School graduate, former Burien City Councilmember from 2000-2001, and also served as Mayor from 2002-2003.
He also served in the Burien Police Department.
Woo influenced many young people to stay off drugs and got involved with the council after concerns about fiscal responsibility, as well as enhancing and adding more parks in Burien.
After moving from Burien, Woo continued to volunteer his time with the Highline Relay for Life event for the past four years. Currently he serves as a police officer in Shoreline.
His family is devastated by this accident and are working with the Police Guild to have him airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to see a specialist within the next 24 hours. To help cover the airlift charges, an account has been set up in his name at Heritage Bank.
The cost is $50,000 to airlift him, and organizers are trying to help defer some of the costs.
We have vetted an online GoFundMe page, which you can donate directly to here:
DONATE ONLINE HERE
You can also help Sgt. Wing Woo and his family and make a donation by cash or check (checks made payable to Catherine Marino FBO: Sergeant Wing Woo) at any Heritage Bank branch Attn: Sergeant Wing Woo Account or mail them to:
Heritage Bank
Attn: Sergeant Wing Woo Account
20333 Ballinger Way NE
Shoreline, WA 98155
Sgt. Woo is an outstanding individual and law enforcement officer, I had the opportunity to meet with him to resolve an issue and he provided me with an easy way to resolve the problem. I wish him the best in his recovery. If he has to retire due to his injuries, it is a great loss for the public.
ReplyDeleteThis is very tragic. Officer Woo is a very caring person who I met asking for help in confronting graffiti in my neighborhood. He was extremely professional, friendly and helpful. I sincerely hope he can get the help he needs to get well, and get care here near his home.
ReplyDelete