Lorain Police Officer recognized for lifesaving efforts at Long Avenue crash

LORAIN — A Lorain police officer is up for the department's Life Saving Award after responding to a crash that amputated a woman's leg earlier this month. Officer Brent Payne was the first officer on scene after a Ford Explored reportedly driven by Ja'Quon Moon, 22, plowed into her minivan along Long Avenue May 5. While Sgt. Timothy Thompson was arresting Moon at one end of the scene, Payne was at the other, initially searching for a child among the chaos. "When Sgt. Thompson stopped the offender's vehicle, he was not aware of what had already taken place behind them," Payne said. "One of the passengers had jumped out and was yelling that her child was hit. ... So when I pulled up, I could see that somebody was gravely injured, but my first thought was 'where is that child?' When somebody said the child is OK, it was time to get to work on her." The woman on the ground was Cholena Ammons. Her leg had been pinned between Moon's vehicle and her own, and when she was hit the blunt force severed her left leg. Demond Nicholson, a neighbor who was on his way home just behind the crash, had already made a makeshift tourniquet from his belt to help stop the heavy bleeding. Payne added two additional tourniquets and helped keep Ammons calm while they waited for LifeCare to arrive. Meanwhile, other officers were trying to clear "gawkers,' and talk to witnesses, Payne said, noting it was a team effort. "There were a lot of people that were just in disbelief, but Demond, he did everything that a decent human being should do," Payne said of the good Samaritan. "In a day and age where people are so quick to take out their cell phone and start recording somebody on their worst day possible, he did everything but that. With all this COVID-19 pandemic going around, he jumped in and resorted back to his training from being a tattoo artist and some first aid that he got and knew that he could make anything into a tourniquet." Monday evening at the start of his shift, Payne received a merit report, recognizing him for his work. Sgt. Jake Morris' comments note Payne's actions and medical training improved Adams' chance of survival, as well as the department's ability to secure the scene. "He is a sterling example of what citizens of the city of Lorain expect from Lorain Police Officers," Morris wrote. While the incident will stay with him, Payne however would disagree. "It's nice to be recognized by our ... command staff, stuff like that but to this extent, it's part of our job," he said. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.