Rockville Trooper Honored With Medal For Saving Trapped Truck Driver

ROCKVILLE, MD — Maryland State Police Trooper 1st Class Jason Reid received a life-saving commendation and medal for saving the life of a 51-year-old tow truck operator in May, according to a post on the MDSP's official Twitter account.

Reid, who is stationed at the Rockville Barrack, received the medal from the General William Smallwood Chapter, Maryland Society, Sons of the American Revolution. The chapter is based in Montgomery County.

Around 10:30 a.m., on May 23, Reid was on the scene of a crash that had just occurred on the ramp from eastbound I-495 to southbound US-29/Colesville Road. A tow truck operator was attempting to attach a winch to the underside of a Chevrolet Equinox involved in the crash, when the car slipped off the back of the tow truck, trapping the operator underneath, according to police.

Seeing what happened, Reid ran over to the tow truck's controls, which he'd received no prior training on. He used the controls to first lower the tow truck's bed to the ground, repositioned it under the front of the Equinox, and then used it to lift the car off the victim, according to the release.

The tow truck operator was then taken to Suburban Hospital to be treated for his injuries.

.@mdsp Rockville Trooper Jason Reid was honored by the General William Smallwood Chapter, Maryland Society, Sons of the American Revolution. TFC Reid was awarded a Life-Saving Commendation and Medal for his actions that saved the life of a tow truck operator on May 23, 2022. pic.twitter.com/fqst0eJRWN
— MD State Police (@MDSP) December 12, 2022