COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah - It didn't take long for a Cottonwood Heights police officer to get her reputation.
Officer Vickie Bagshaw has been with the department for roughly six months, but she's made the most of her time.
"She's the reason my kids have their mom today," said a tearful Blanche Bills, mother of four, as she stood in front of City Council Tuesday night.
Last month, Bills was sitting at a red light when she was rear-ended at full speed from behind. Bagshaw said the driver was reaching for a cell phone on the floor board when it happened.
"Then came the hit. It was lights out for me," Blanche added.
She later learned Bagshaw was the first to respond to the accident. Blanche recalls Bagshaw calling her husband and waiting for paramedics, but that wasn't all.
"She came to the hospital with me," Blanche recalled. "She sat there for 10 hours until I regained consciousness."
And that, wasn't all.
"Yesterday, I got home, and there was a build-a-bear sitting there with a note for me," Blanche said while pointing to her front door.
Blanche said Bagshaw has visited her every week, sometimes daily, and sometimes on her own free time.
“We’re just really thankful for her,” she said.
At the City Council meeting Tuesday night, Bagshaw stepped forward to receive an award that Blanche had made for her. Teary-eyed, Blanche handed her the award, then went in for the hug.
“Very unexpected, especially the last part," Bagshaw said.
Bagshaw received a second award Tuesday night for a similar act.
A few months back she responded to a house where an elderly woman had fallen down inside her home. Bagshaw noticed she wasn't living with any loved ones, so, came back to visit the woman almost on a daily basis for three months, until she passed away.
