National Guard honors nurse for saving specialist’s life

Nurses help save lives every day. For registered nurse, Megan Williams, her duties went beyond the hospital, proving that as a nurse, you’re never truly off the clock.

The National Guard recognized the heroic actions of Williams, who saved the life of 27-year-old Specialist Shaun Peterson, a Washington National Guardsman, during a “severe vehicle collision,” KIRO 7 reported.

Williams was a traveling nurse working various jobs before settling at the Providence-Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.

“I had a couple of contracts fall through in different states, and I was kind of scrambling. I had never been to Seattle before I came here, and I ended up just falling in love with it,” Williams told the news outlet.

The incident happened over the summer while Williams, who was on her way to enjoy a hike, noticed a military vehicle that “crashed into an overpass on the side of I-90 near Easton between Snoqualmie and Cle Elum,” the outlet reported.

“I was just the right person at the right time with a certain skill set,” Williams said. “I’m happy to hear that he’s going to make a full recovery. That was definitely not the initial prognosis on that day.”

During Thursday’s ceremony, Washington National Guard Adjutant General Bret Daugherty presented Williams with a challenge coin in honor of her heroism.

“I’ve seen a lot of chaos, so working in a scenario like this doesn’t bother me so much anymore,” said Williams. “If I was in that same situation, or it was my brother or friend, I hope the right person with the right skill set would see the accident and do the same thing.”