Farmer and son named honorary troopers for ‘heroic rescue’

COLBY, Kan. (KSNW) — A father and son who rescued a semi-truck driver in December have been honored by the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Major Andrew Dean presented Brent and Brady Ginther with Honorary Trooper awards for their actions on Dec. 19, 2023. The driver of a semi traveling west on Interstate 70 in Sherman County had blacked out due to a medical issue.

The truck had veered off of the road onto the median and was approaching the Kansas Highway 27 overpass in Goodland. The truck slowed enough for Brady Ginther to jump to the passenger side of the truck.

After finding the door locked, Brent Ginther tossed his son a hammer, which he used to break out the window, allowing him to get inside the cab of the semi and stop the truck before it went down onto K-27.

Troopers say the Ginther’s actions that day saved the truck driver’s life, but potentially the lives of drivers on K-27. The awards were presented to the Ginthers at the Thomas County Justice Center in Colby on Thursday.