A 44-year-old woman killed Monday morning in a series of crashes on state Route 16 served in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the USS Nimitz.
Lt. Cmdr. Regina Mills served as the aircraft handling officer on the Nimitz, which is stationed in Bremerton right now. She was responsible for the arrangement of aircraft on the flight and hangar decks, the Navy reported in a press release issued this morning.
“Regina was a great leader and officer,” Capt. Paul. O. Monger, USS Nimitz commanding officer, said in the press release. “She was a leader and mentor not only to the sailors and officers in the Air Department, but throughout the ship.”
Mills, who is from Louisville, Ky., was headed westbound on SR 16 on Monday shortly after 5 a.m. She came upon several crashes on the ice-slickened roadway near Burnham Drive and pulled over.
Among the accidents, a motorcycle rider had crashed and had laid his bike down.
Mills, who was living in Everett, parked her car before a Washington State Patrol cruiser and got out to help the motorcyclist.
Mills, the trooper and the motorcyclist were standing on the right shoulder when a pickup truck lost control and hit another vehicle. The vehicle crashed into the three on the roadway.
Mills was killed. The trooper and motorcyclist were injured.
“Tasked with ensuring optimum safety on board an aircraft carrier, an inherently dangerous environment, she died as the result of trying to assist a person faced with potential danger,” Monger said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family. Regina will be sorely missed.”
On Facebook, fellow sailors said Mills was one-of-a-kind.
“It was an honor to serve with her,” Doug Ames wrote on the USS Nimitz Facebook page.
Michael Selvey Truely wrote, “Made everyone feel like they mattered and she took care of junior sailors like no other.”
Joshua Palomares wrote, “Her job was to keep us safe on deck. She was like a mother to a lot of us. She will be greatly missed.”
The State Patrol is asking any witnesses to the chain of events leading up to and the actual collisions to call detective sergeant Jerry Cooper at 360-805-1192 or detective Curt Ladines at -360-805-1160.
another human sacrifice at the altar of automobiles.
Eternal Father, and St Elmo take her under your wings…
Thank you for your service sister.
God be with your family at this terrible time.
To sacrifice such a life to an ignorant person’s inability to drive hurts to the core.
wow what a tragedy. Very sad day.
Horrible tragedic loss of a woman who was incredible in so many ways, helping someone foolish enough to be riding a motorcycle in such bad conditions.
She was an O-4, or the equiv of a Major for those who don’t know Naval Rank.
prayers to the family and to all who witnesses this tragic event.
My husband worked under her and his heart was saddended deeply. She was a light and examle to the world. What a tragic loss of a beautiful spirit, but her message to me was very clear. Do we stop helping other’s? How will we go? Will it as a good samaritan? The truth of this woman’s character shine’s through this terrible, horrible loss. Her life is an example to us all. My heart felt and deepest sympathy to those that loved and knew her intimately. I was attacked and brutally beaten for 45 min by a serial, sadist rapist 4 yrs ago. I fought him off, talked him down, and put him away for life. But, near the end I knelt to die knowing I could no longer fight. I turned to my attacker and reached out to help him emotionally with my last breath and forgave him. So, I know something about last moments. A woman’s nurturing, heart, and love is a beautiful thing and I know first hand that Ms Mills’ life and death was about the greatest lesson of all. Love One Another and do unto other’s as you would have them do unto you. RIP Regina Mills and may your light continue to shine through all that hear your message. “If we remember them, they are not forgotten. Once they are forgotten, it will no longer matter, for we shall all be together again”