MoDOT Employee Helps Rescue Motorist from Wrecked Vehicle During Winter Storm

KANSAS CITY – While treating bridges with salt in the Kansas City area during the winter storm Saturday, Dec. 21, Missouri Department of Transportation Senior Maintenance Worker David Winship found himself in a unique position to do a little more than usual to help a motorist in need.

“I was just in the right place at the right time, and did what anyone would have done for someone else in need,” Winship said.

Winship had just driven over Highway 69 on southbound I-29 in Clay County around 3 p.m., when he saw smoke rising over the side of the guardrail. He pulled his snowplow truck over to -investigate and discovered a smoking vehicle down the embankment resting on the driver side, against some trees. No emergency vehicles were on scene yet, and as Winship approached the vehicle, he could hear someone yelling for help from inside the vehicle.

After calling 911, Winship determined he had to get the motorist out of the smoking vehicle, but because the doors were locked and the car was on its side, decided he had to get creative. Luckily, the vehicle was a convertible and Winship had a pocket knife with him that he used to cut a slit in the top. He then cut a hole large enough to pull the motorist from her vehicle with the help of another concerned motorist who pulled over to help.

Emergency responders arrived to the scene shortly after. After a big bear hug to thank him for his efforts, Winship left to continue driving his route to help ensure other motorists could get to their destinations safely.

Winship, almost a five-year veteran with MoDOT, says incidents like this are unusual, but being prepared for whatever may come your way is always important. “I’m just glad I was there to help – it was a blessing all around.”

“Our employees are out there every day working in potentially hazardous conditions like clearing snow, patching potholes or working incidents," says MoDOT KC District Engineer Dan Niec. “We care about keeping people safe on our roads and our employees prove they will do whatever it takes to try to get everyone to their destination safely. David is another great example of the caliber of people who work for us, and I’m proud of each and every one of them.“

Approximately 400 MoDOT Kansas City Maintenance employees work 12-hour shifts using 200 trucks to clear the thousands of miles of roadways in the nine county Kansas City region during inclement weather. Employees work day and night until roads are clear

This press release provided by MoDOT.