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Roadside assistance preserves medical appointment

Two motorists en route to a cancer treatment in Lewiston recently found themselves in the wrong place at the right time. District 2 maintenance worker Ty Winther was in the same place at the right time.

Winther was driving on an isolated stretch of Idaho 8 transporting limbs trimmed from a highway roadside thinning project when he noticed two women who appeared to be having car troubles. He stopped to provide assistance, and as it turns out, preserved an important medical appointment.

Karen Thomas of Deary and Judy McPherson of Moscow described the event in a letter to District 2 Engineer Jim Carpenter:

Last Tuesday (April 13) a friend and I had the unexpected pleasure of meeting Ty Winther ... We were driving out Highway 8 on our way to Lewiston when a terrible screeching sound came from the tire of my car. Immediately we stopped and tried to figure out what was wrong.

We tried to call a repair shop in Moscow for advice but found we had no cell service.

Getting out of the car, Karen noticed an ITD dump truck full of dead tree cuttings drive by. Lucky for us, the driver could see that we had a problem and came back to see if he could help. Thankfully Ty had a cell phone with service, and some great ideas on how to get the rock out of our wheel. In just a few moments my friend and I were on our way to Lewiston.

Ty never told us his name but graciously did everything to help, including offering his cell phone to call Moscow. Without his kindness, we would have missed Karen’s cancer treatment.

Ty, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and help two stranded ladies. It is reassuring to know that the Idaho Transportation Department crew is out on the roads to assist stranded travelers.