A
routine business trip to Fargo, N.D., for two project managers was anything but
normal when they came across a vehicle in the ditch.
Terry
Williams and Brett Coleman, both in project management, were heading toward
Fargo for a meeting when they noticed a vehicle had gone in the ditch along
Interstate 94, near Barnsville, Minn., Jan. 9.
Not
knowing whether there were any injuries, Coleman said they decided to pull over
and see if anyone needed their assistance. Williams said the Ford F150 truck
was lying on its driver side and the trailer that was attached to the truck was
upside down in the snow bank.
As
the two project managers surveyed the situation, Williams said it quickly
became apparent that there were multiple people in the vehicle, including small
children.
Coleman
said he noticed a guy standing next to the truck holding a small child. He
approached the man to offer his assistance, and he soon had a small child in his
arms. Coleman said he passed the child off to another bystander that had
stopped to help before turning his attention toward the truck. He said he first
noticed the mom standing up in the truck. After helping her get out of the
vehicle through the missing sun roof, he retrieved a few of her personal
belongings before turning his attention toward the three children.
“The
kids made no sound but were carefully watching everything,” said Coleman. “One
by one, the kids were removed and taken to another vehicle to wait for
emergency vehicles.”
Coleman
said the seat belt was stuck on the last kid so he used his pocket knife to
start cutting the belt. “About half way thru the seat belt, the mechanism
released, and the kid was free,” he said. “Once freed, the kid dug through the
snow in the cab to find his handheld gaming system.”
After
everyone had been safely removed from the vehicle, Coleman said he and Williams
continued to stay with the family and reassure them that everything was going
to be OK.
Williams
said, “Brett’s leadership and quick action directly resulted in the family
getting to safety.” The two project managers waited until emergency responders
arrived before leaving the scene. Coleman added, “Once state patrol arrived,
and [we] saw ambulances coming, our help was no longer needed or required, so
Terry and I continued on our trip to Fargo.”