In the News

Stroud man a MADD hero
Simcoe.com
July 15, 2010

INNISFIL - Harold Huestis has witnessed enough close calls in his years on the road.

A few too many, in fact.

The co-owner of P&H Sweepline Services of Stroud with his wife, Patricia, Huestis supervises teams of labourers who provide sweeping and line markings on roads, highways and parking lots across southern Ontario.

An incident that took place near the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Tiffin Street in Barrie a couple of months ago will stick in his mind for a long time.

“It was around 12:30 a.m. on the Thursday night of the May long weekend,” Huestis says. “We were just setting up to start work near Shutter’s Restaurant in the Essa Road and Lakeshore Drive area. A pickup truck came flying through and hit one of those big orange barrels. It got caught under the truck. He had a green light but just came zooming through and lost control.”

Huestis and his six-men crew watched as the driver backed up repeatedly, trying to dislodge the barrel, but to no avail.

“He pulled into the Shutter’s parking lot and got out of the truck saying, ‘I know how I can do this.’ He could barely stand. I grabbed his keys. I think he knew he was screwed. He asked me for his keys back and said, ‘I have some drugs and money I can give you.’ I walked away from him to prevent any risk of a fight and called the police from a pay phone.”

Shortly after, a Barrie Police officer arrived on the scene.

“He handled it so good,” Huestis says. “He was very professional and treated the guy gently and took him away. A couple of hours later, the officer returned. He told us the pickup driver was two-and-a-half times over the limit and had a huge list of priors (convictions). He was in his early 20s and well-known to police.”

A media report on the incident caught the attention of Kim Butler, past-president of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Barrie/Simcoe chapter.

“When we hear about someone doing something like Harold did, we like to make a very positive example of them to show the community it’s OK to call 911 if they suspect a drunk driver,” Butler says. “We have been getting many more calls from people reporting impaired drivers.”

A pediatric nurse, Butler knows only too well the carnage and tragedy a drunk driver can wreak on innocent victims.

Being honoured and recognized by the MADD organization with the Community Hero Crystal award is just fine in Huestis’ books. The ceremony took place in the rotunda at Barrie City Hall as part of MADD’s annual general meeting.

“I’m kind of tickled about it,” Huestis says. “Hopefully, it will make other people more aware of impaired drivers and get them to call police. We do a lot of roadwork at night. I’d do it again. I had six guys working that night and if wasn’t for maybe 15 or 20 minutes, we would have been right where the truck came blasting through. Somebody could have easily been killed.”

MADD Barrie/Simcoe has also nominated Huestis for a national award to be announced in September.

“People like Harold are unsung heroes,” Butler adds.

MADD Barrie/Simcoe Award Winners
Excellence in Policing – OPP Sgt. Larry Faulkner, OPP Const. Steve Barcham, OPP Const. Gord Keene
Youth Award – Meagan Garner
Community Hero Award – Harold Huestis