442nd crew chief saves man's life after highway accident

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kent Kagarise
  • 442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  A twist of fate found Senior Airman Jesse Farris, 442nd Fighter Wing crew chief, saving the life of a crash victim on the side of a hazardous wintry road in February.

Airman Farris was on his way to Whiteman Air Force Base from his home in Iowa, to work for the alternate unit training assembly weekend.

After a few months of being away from the 442nd to pursue other military interests, he was returning for the first UTA since October 2009.

Midwest weather had taken the roads captive in February, leaving Airman Farris driving on an icy highway that had already cast many vehicles into the adjacent ravines.

But one of the vehicles caught his eye.

"I saw a tractor and trailer lying on its side with its lights strangely flickering rather than the standard four-way flashing hazard lights," Airman Farris said.

It was at this time Airman Farris remembered a bit of wisdom his uncle, a truck driver, once shared with him.

"He told me if you ever see a truck's lights doing that, there might be someone in danger inside the vehicle."

When Airman Farris approached the crash site he noticed the front windshield was broken and the driver was unresponsive inside the cab of the truck.

"His radio was broken and he couldn't find his cell phone, and nobody had stopped to help him," Airman Farris said. "Were it not for the warmth of the truck's engine block he'd have gotten frost bite and probably wouldn't have made it."

Upon calling for rescue, 911 operators asked Airman Farris if he could move the man into the warmth of his vehicle due to the frigid temperatures and potential long wait for the ambulance to arrive.

"Before I joined the Air Force I wouldn't have known what to do," Airman Farris said. "Being a crew chief we're always aware of our surroundings and all the self aid and buddy care training really paid off."

Although the crash victim could not speak audibly, Airman Farris was able to communicate with the man, who moved his arms to answer yes and no questions.

Airman Farris drove his four-wheel-drive SUV through the snow to the wrecked truck and gently removed the stranded man through the frame of the front windshield.

"He had a broken leg that I splinted with a wrench and a tire iron," Airman Farris said. "I stabilized the tools with a seat belt I cut out of the truck."

The injured truck driver and Airman Farris then waited in the warmth of the SUV where he wrapped the man in a blanket kept in the vehicle for just this type of emergency.

"The 911 operator called me back and informed me the first ambulance had slid off the road and they were sending a second one," Airman Farris said. "At this time I figured I'd call my supervisor and let him know what was happening, and asked him to look through the Airman's Manual with me just to make sure I didn't miss anything while treating the injured man."

It was a Friday afternoon when Senior Master Sgt. William Muth, 442nd Aircraft
Maintenance Squadron flight chief, took the phone call from what he described as an excited Airman.

"The first thing I asked him was if he had called 911 and then we just went through the Airman's Manual and made sure Jesse hadn't skipped any steps," Sergeant Muth said.

Sergeant Muth was impressed by the young Airman's composure in the stressful situation and as they talked, he realized Airman Farris had done all the right things.

"We get a lot of training here at the wing and I definitely think it paid huge dividends in this situation," Sergeant Muth said.

The next day Airman Farris received a phone call from the truck driver's wife, who told him the man and his vehicle were passed by other embattled winter travelers for 13 hours before he came to the rescue.

"He's a conscientious kid," Sergeant Muth said, "The big thing is, he took the time to go down there and look when most people just kept on going. I'd like to think most Airmen would've done the same thing Airman Farris did," he said.

Airman Farris' heroic efforts came as no surprise to those who know him and work with him on a monthly basis.

"He's a very intelligent individual with a good work ethic and pays attention to detail so news of his good deed didn't shock me at all," said Tech. Sgt. Elgin Cline, 442nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief.

From the time Airman Farris came upon the accident scene and the time the second ambulance arrived was approximately one hour, and due to Airman Farris' situational awareness, the victim is expected to make a full recovery.

Airman Farris said he plans to continue pursuing his dream, which entails enrolling in the University of Iowa's Air Force ROTC program - something he says will continue to prepare him to lead fellow Airmen down a hazard-free path as an Air Force officer.