LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A public servant is being acknowledged for his bravery during a recent winter storm.
LeRoy Ford was beginning his night shift with the snow plow team Christmas weekend when he drove down Six Mile Lane, crossing over Breckinridge Lane.
"The visibility was extremely tough that night with the wind gust and I was extremely careful because obviously there was ice,” he recalled.
As he crossed the intersection, he noticed a line of traffic. Ford discovered a vehicle on the side of the road with some good Samaritans trying to help.
Once pulled over, he discovered a man and his daughter stuck inside.
"I told him to get in the vehicle with his daughter so that he could stay warm with her. I don't know how long they been out there. I didn't know if they needed anything," he said.
Ford was ready for the storm with extra blankets and used them to keep them warm.
He flagged down traffic for the next 15 to 20 minutes until emergency responders arrived and also barricaded the vehicle so others could avoid hitting them.
"My biggest thing is I'm a dad as well, so I have a 7-year-old daughter so I definitely. I felt his defeat at that moment," Ford said.
Even though there was a language barrier, the man rescued used a translator to communicate with Ford.
His colleague Salvador Melendez salutes him for his bravery.
"Outstanding individual, public servant that's the words I would use to describe him," he said.
Melendez said every Public Works employee is instilled with the mantra of being a call to duty.
“They understand that that though they may have routine jobs when the weather is normal, they know that when the weather becomes inclement, they have a call to answer,” he said.
It’s a call that Ford and every employee looks forward to answering every day.
“We want to make sure that the citizens of Louisville are safe,” Ford said. We want to make sure that everyone can get from point A to point B without any infractions."
Ford's actions also receive praise from new Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg who thanked him for his swift act of compassion.
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