During his pre-dawn commute to work at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport outside Amarillo, Texas, TSA Officer Wyatt Savage came upon what appeared to be a large trash bag in the middle of I-40.
But something about this was different, and Savage’s instincts told him to slow down. As he swerved to avoid “the bag,” his car’s headlights caught the glare of the face shield of a motorcycle helmet. He instantly realized this “bag” was a person lying in the middle of the busy interstate.
Savage quickly parked his vehicle about 100 feet away from the individual and saw a motorcycle off the road several yards ahead. The Harley Davidson motorcycle skidded about 30-40 yards beyond where Savage found the injured man.
He immediately ran to check on the downed rider.
Savage was the first person on the scene and saw the individual appeared to be unconscious and seriously injured. He stood in the travel lane, in front of the motorcyclist, protecting him from oncoming traffic.
Noticing a couple watching from across the highway, Savage asked if they saw what happened. They said they only noticed the bike rider go down. He asked them to call 911 while he stayed with the injured man and waited for EMS and police to arrive.
With the motorcyclist’s leg severely injured, Savage worked to keep him stable, immobile and protected from traffic on the busy freeway. He directed cars out of the lane by using his cell phone’s flashlight, as numerous tractor trailers sped down the interstate.
“If I was ever in need and unable to help myself, I would hope a good Samaritan would stop to help me,” Savage said.
Savage’s heroic actions made the difference in protecting the helpless motorcyclist from further injury. This feat was all the more impressive given the limited visibility.
“Officer Savage was not leaving the scene until he had a positive handoff to EMS. His engrained TSA training kicked in automatically,” said Supervisory TSA Officer Miguel Espinoza.
“Wyatt’s instincts told him it’s what he had to do – take charge of the situation and help,” said TSA Deputy Assistant Federal Security Director-Screening Ignacio Luna.
Luna and TSA Assistant Federal Security Director-Screening Shawn Brooks recognized Savage’s heroic actions by presenting him with a TSA coin at a local Amarillo town hall.
TSA Federal Security Director Tommy Johnson added, “We are all proud of Wyatt for having the courage and humanity to stop and help a fellow traveler in need regardless of the risks to himself. Great job!”
By Michele Robbins, TSA Strategic Communications & Public Affairs