May 21 was already an abnormal day for maintenance officer Craig Hosts, according to a report from News Channel 6. He was called into work at 2:30 a.m. because a torrential downpour had turned the roads into waterways.
He was out placing “Water over Road” signs and barricades on the flooded roads of Archer County at around 5:30 a.m. when he saw the dim red tail lights of a vehicle. He waded into the rising water and noticed a truck with an elderly man struggling to escape the rising waters.
“There was an individual inside the pickup. And I helped him out, and we waded back to my pickup, and I took him to his cabin,” Hostas told the TV station. “… I wasn’t expecting all of this. It’s just another day of doing what we all do, and trying to help when we can.”
Hostas might have downplayed his actions a bit. Mike Terry, the man he saved, had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cancer, and didn’t have the strength to open the door as the waters rose. Hostas was able to pry the door open and help Terry out of the water.
TxDOT gave Hostas the award at a ceremony in College Station earlier this month. The Extra Mile Award is given to DOT workers who goes above and beyond in order to help someone in need.
