Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — There have been amazing rescues through the years thanks to the Utah's Department of Public Safety helicopter.
From mountain peaks to remote canyons, the pilot and crew always get a lot of credit for saving people.
However, all their hard work could not be done if it weren't for people like Steve Matheson.
Matheson is one of those behind the scenes who makes those rescues possible.
"I love my job and it is still challenging to me. We have a great team here," Matheson said.
He is an aircraft maintenance engineer for the state. He is also one of the mechanics with Utah's Division of Aeronautics who make sure the state's planes and helicopters are ready to go when someone needs help.
"Our goal is to give the pilot an aircraft that has no problems whatsoever," said Matheson.
Easy for him to want to help
So, when he saw a problem while driving on Interstate 215 last month — a car was stopped in the middle of afternoon rush hour traffic near 4100 South in Taylorsville — it was natural for him to want to help.
"I saw that there were two small children in the back of the car," Matheson said. "It was a small car and people were driving freeway speeds around us. I really knew that the amount of energy from a freeway speed to a dead stop could potentially have been extremely serious or fatal to those people in that car."
Matheson decided to stop right behind the stopped car.
His thought was, if someone hit the pickup truck he was in, the damage would be a lot less than if the smaller car was hit.
Sure enough, about 30 seconds after he stopped, he saw it coming.
"I was looking up in my rear-view mirror. I twisted my head and the car hit me from behind at pretty much freeway speeds," Matheson said.
The impact was so severe, it moved the rear axle and tires forward.
The car ended up under the pickup truck.
Treated at the hospital
Matheson was taken to the hospital after being slammed into the steering wheel and dashboard.
"I will admit to being a little rattled," he said.
However, he says he is OK.
The driver who hit him was also taken to the hospital.
"The trooper said that he was going to be OK," Matheson said.
Most importantly for Matheson, though, was the woman and two kids he wanted to protect were OK, too.
Troopers told him for as fast as that car was going, the family might not have survived an impact like that.
Matheson does not know who they are, but he says he would do it all again.
"Like I said, it is just one of those things that flashed through your mind. ... There was just no deliberation. It was just, we need to do this and get help," he said.
Pride in helping others
There is no doubt Matheson takes a lot of pride in helping others.
It is something his wife, Teresa Matheson, has seen countless times.
It is a good thing she understands his passion to help others because it was her truck he was driving.
"I will probably be paying that for some time," said Steve Matheson with a laugh.
She is certainly not surprised, though, that once again Matheson was busy saving the day.
"We are not sorry that we lost the truck because it saved four lives," she said.
Matheson's co-workers have set up a GoFundMe* page to try and help him get a new truck.
Since it was an older truck, they aren't sure how much insurance might cover.
To him, though, it doesn't matter.
"When you can help people and to make a difference in today's world, it is very important to me," he said. "We can all do something good."
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
