Decatur County Sheriff Wiley Griffin recently recognized Thomas Avery, assistant area engineer for maintenance in our area three Georgia Department of Transportation Office (HQ in Donalsonville), for his “unselfish assistance” in helping prevent injury.

Traffic was heavy the night of Sept. 12 on the Bainbridge bypass due to storm evacuees. Among the drivers was a local elderly man traveling the wrong way.

Griffin said deputies were dispatched, but were several miles away. Thomas took it upon himself to stop the vehicle, risking his life and saving others from injury, Sheriff Griffin said.

“Had Supervisor Avery not taken this upon himself, the consequences could have been horrendous,” the sheriff wrote in a letter to Avery’s supervisor.