Highway Maintenance Worker

Department of Transportation

11/8/2020

Special Service Award (Silver)

On Sunday November 8, 2020 around 3:00 p.m., Caltrans Highway Maintenance Worker Ryan Aguirre and his coworker Steven Garcia were responding to a hard closure on State Route 38 for downed powerlines. Mr. Aguirre and Mr. Garcia established the hard closure with signs and traffic cones and parked roughly fifty feet behind the closure to repair snow tire chains on the vehicle they were driving. As Mr. Aguirre and Mr. Garcia were under the vehicle adjusting the tire chains, Mr. Aguirre stood above his coworker as a lookout for out of control vehicles. Several minutes went by and as the two employees were attempting to repair the tire chains, an errant vehicle speeding out of control in the snow crashed through the signs, barricades, traffic cones and past a California Highway Patrol vehicle parked across the roadway with its’ emergency lights activated. The vehicle crashed into the rear of the pickup that the two employees were working on. Mr. Aguirre, keeping a watchful eye out for vehicles observed the errant vehicle speeding out of control at a high rate of speed and directly towards where they were parked. Without hesitation, Mr. Aguirre instinctively pulled Mr. Garcia out from under the truck and away from imminent danger. This action on Mr. Aguirre’s behalf prevented Mr. Garcia from being struck while laying on the ground under the pickup truck. Mr. Aguirre placed himself in the direct path of the oncoming vehicle and without his attentiveness and action to pull his coworker to safety, his coworker could have been seriously injured or killed. With no regard for his own safety, Mr. Aguirre went above and beyond the call of duty. The State of California takes great pride in presenting the Silver Medal of Valor to Department of Transportation Highway Maintenance Worker Ryan A. Aguirre.