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| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor GRANBY The father and son team of William and Robert Johnson were the recipients of the American Towman Commendation award at the Nov. 18 American Towman Exposition, a trade show for the towing industry, conducted this year in Baltimore, MD. The elder Johnson is the owner of Hampshire Towing and he and his son were recognized for their involvement in an incident that took place in Granby in September. An elderly farmer tipped his tractor over while attempting to drag a tree stump out of the ground. The man was trapped underneath the tractor and Johnson and his son responded with two of their vehicles after they heard about the accident on their police scanner. Johnson explained to the Chicopee Herald that after arriving on the scene, he and his son consulted with Granby Fire department officials and were given permission to attempt to lift the tractor off of the man. The farmer's ankle was being crushed by the tractor's steering wheel and his head was under a fender. The soft muddy ground that had contributed to the accident actually helped him, as he was able to dig a hole from around his head so he could breathe. Working with paramedics, the two men were able to lift the tractor high enough so the Belchertown Fire Department, which was there to assist, could place an air cushion under part of the tractor. Once a medical evacuation helicopter arrived, the man was removed and flown to a hospital for treatment. Johnson said that five other tow operators received the award and four were recognized for efforts in which the tow operators placed their own lives on the line to save others. He said a friend of his heard about the incident and nominated the two men. Johnson said receiving the award "felt pretty good" because he was "just doing his job." |