San Juan County Citizens Receive Recognition from Farmington Police and Fire

On Friday, July 11, 2014 the Farmington Police Department and the Farmington Fire Department recognized 15 heroic San Juan County citizens. At approximately 1:34 PM on June 30, a motorcyclist was traveling east on Main Street and attempted to turn onto Pinon Hills Boulevard when he was struck by a drunken motorist. The vehicle ran over the motorcyclist trapping him underneath. Fifteen employees from the nearby Blue Diamond Auto Spa raced to the victim’s aid, lifted the vehicle off of him, and moved him to safety before paramedics arrived. Paramedics were able to rush him to the emergency room without delay due to the quick actions of these individuals. The victim is currently recovering from his injuries.

During the grind of daily life, we often get angry at the person who cuts us off in traffic, the person who isn’t courteous enough to park within the lines at the mall, or the person who doesn’t bother putting away their shopping cart at the grocery store. We choke up over the advertisement raising money for abused animals, lock our doors when the evening news reports the latest string of burglaries, or get disgusted when we read the daily newspaper about a child who is removed from her abusive parents. The constant day-to-day negatives decrease our faith in humanity and we turn a little colder. Then, a man – a member of OUR community - lay close to death in the squall of an afternoon drunk driver and we witness a glimmering ray of light from the storm. It reminds us of the good nature of our fellow citizens and re-instills confidence in our fellow man.

There are many people to thank in this incident, including the emergency service workers, but today, we highlight the 15 community members who stood up and saw a person in need:

Max Moreland Cooper Nelson

Anthony Ayala Anthony Reed

Brenden Huntsman Joe Rich

Kimula Bates Georeinda Silver

Tim Beyael Montgomery Steriegel

Christopher Delgarito Shelby Tharrington

Rod Ferriera Jeremy Bonnett

Valeri Mickel

San Juan Safe Communities Initiative (SJSCI) would like to thank the manager and owners of Blue Diamond Auto Spa for allowing Farmington Police and Fire to interrupt their business day in order to acknowledge those employees. SJSCI would also extend our gratitude for The Farmington Police Department (FPD) and Farmington Fire Department (FFD) for recognizing those efforts. Thank you to FPD Chief Steve Hebbe (SJSCI Board Member), FFD Chief Terry Page, FFD Battalion Chief Todd McCarville, FPD Sergeant Dave Monfils, and FFD Captain Doug Walker.

By: Greg Allen

Executive Director

San Juan Safe Communities Initiative