The Argyle Police Chief presented an employee of the Argyle Water Supply Corporation with a Citizen’s Certificate of Merit because he used his vehicle to stop another vehicle that was out of control because the driver was having a medical emergency.
About 10:30 a.m. on July 16, AWSC employee John Hammons was headed westbound on FM 407 at the Hwy 377 intersection when he saw a young woman headed south on 377, and he could tell she was having a seizure. The woman did not have control of the vehicle and ran the red light, so Hammons turned left and maneuvered his work vehicle in front of hers, so that she would hit him and he could get her to come to a stop, preventing her from getting into a more serious crash with another vehicle or in a ditch, according to Chief Emmitt Jackson.
The woman’s vehicle hit Hammons’ and came to a stop. Police and paramedics responded immediately and provided treatment to the woman. Not only were there no physical injuries from the crash and only minor damage to the vehicles, but the woman didn’t even need to be transported to the hospital for the seizure. She is doing OK now, Jackson said.
Hammons’ actions went “above and beyond,” Jackson said.
“I would expect that of one of my officers,” Jackson said, “but anytime a private citizen places themselves in harm’s way to prevent injury to someone else, that’s commendable.”
Jackson said that if an Argyle officer had done the same thing, he would’ve presented a Certificate of Merit or Medal of Honor to that officer, so he drafted this new Citizen’s Certificate and presented it to Hammons on Wednesday.
“I felt that was particularly meritorious conduct by him to spring into action and prevent serious bodily injury to another citizen,” Jackson said.
