A police officer was being remembered by law enforcement after a head-on crash claimed her life.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, an SUV driven by 15-year Columbus Division of Police veteran Marcia "Jodi" Frederick and a Jefferson Township ambulance crashed head-on along state Route 142 and U.S. Route 40 Tuesday afternoon.

Frederick, 53, who Columbus police confirmed was currently on the force, died in the crash.

Co-workers and loved ones dealt with the shock of the sudden loss on Tuesday.

"She was just in the office this week with a smile," Karen Days said. "She's triumphant because she knows she had beaten the cancer."

Days is the president of the Center for Family Safety and Healing, where Frederick worked as a special victims unit detective. Frederick handled cases of sexual assault and child abuse.

"She dedicated her life to making sure that kids were safer and she dedicated her life to make sure she was part of being a hero," Days said.

Frederick was preparing to mark her 16th year with the force.

"She was very proud because a lot of the people in the academy were a lot younger than her," Union president Jim Gilbert said.

Many of Frederick's co-workers donated to her when she exhausted her time off.

"She also truly believed that she'd been given a second chance at life," Columbus Division of Police Chief Kimberley Jacobs said. "She knew there was a plan that she was going to be able to come back and serve others again."

Family members were working to determine funeral arrangements.

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