GARRARD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A collision in northern Garrard County killed two people and injured two others Monday morning.
According to State Police, a semi-truck turned in front of a Somerset-Pulaski County ambulance being driven by EMT Chastian McWhorter, who died in the accident, along with the patient being transported, Robert “Doug” Caudill.
“Dad was a cut up,” said Doug’s son, Shane. “He liked to have fun, he liked to laugh.”
According to Shane, Doug’s health had been improving when he had a setback and fell Sunday night. The accident sent him to the hospital.
It was in transport from the ER in Somerset to the V.A. Hospital in Lexington when Shane got the call that his dad’s ambulance had been involved in an accident, and his dad didn’t make it.
His father’s tragic passing reminded him of a story from his dad’s time in service.
In 1967, Doug Caudill was serving in Vietnam, clearing a road when a Jeep hit a landmine. The driver was killed, but the passenger survived. Wounded on the ground as the Jeep caught fire, Caudill jumped in to save his fellow soldier.
“Dad runs in and gets the guy, the gas ignites and he actually pulls the guy through the flames and he gets the guy out, and shortly after, the spot where the guy was at, a shell explodes, so he saved a guy's life,” said Shane.
Caudill’s courage earned him the award of the Soldier’s Medal.
“Maybe that's the legacy, that maybe those people are the best of us, the people who run in when someone has to,” said Shane.
It’s a legacy Caudill honored each day, living his life like a soldier with a servant’s heart.
“He was the guy…if you had a problem, if your water heater broke in the middle of the night, he was here to help,” said Shane. “He was the guy who picked up the check, left big tips, he loved people, he loved doing for people.”
Perhaps his acts of kindness later in life weren’t as memorable as scenes from Vietnam, but Shane believes they made a difference.
He hopes his dad’s giving heart inspires others.
“If anyone hears this and feels compelled to do something, maybe just unleash some kindness and generosity by, I don't know, buy a meal, open a door for somebody, I think he would like that.”
