We all would like to think we’d act heroically if faced with a life-or-death situation. It’s the stuff of Hollywood – but it’s also a reality of everyday life.
That can be part of the job for emergency medical technicians, police officers, firefighters and military members.
For most people, though, it’s not a situation they encounter. But some citizens do rise to such occasions.
Two local men did just that in saving a woman’s life.
Johnny R. Smith and Tim Meeks, both of Columbus, saved Debra Jean Stephens from a burning vehicle on Christmas Day last year.
Both were driving southbound on Interstate 65, in separate vehicles, when their keen senses detected something was wrong. They saw smoke coming from an area between a side access road and the interstate that afternoon, and decided to investigate.
Smith and Meeks, who did not know each other, discovered Stephens slumped over the steering wheel and unconscious while blames burned around her. They worked together, got her out and safely away and called for help.
Stephens is alive, although still recovering from burns.
She surprised the men during an award ceremony recently where they received medals of valor from the sheriff’s department for their actions.
The medals are well deserved. They saved a life. They followed their instincts instead of continuing on their way. The men demonstrated how we all hope we would act if encountering such a situation.
