Kyle city officials last week took time to honor a man whose determination and gut-instinct saved the life of a fellow resident.
In a short ceremony prior to the Aug. 1 city council meeting, Kyle Police Jeff Barnett presented resident Billy Bowden with a Distinguished Citizen award in honor of his selfless act to save the life of Kyle resident Robert Cunningham.
Bowden’s determination to locate and render aid saved Cunningham, who was the victim of a serious motorcycle accident on Interstate 35 in 2016.
Bowden had been traveling southbound on I-35 when he noticed that a wreck had occurred, although no vehicle was immediately in sight.
He initially continued onward to San Marcos as he had not actually witnessed a crash. But a gut feeling turned him back towards Kyle to retrace the route and approach the area where he believed a crash might have happened.
After parking off a shoulder and stepping out to search, Bowden scanned the area and initially didn’t find anything.
Just as he was prepared to turn back to his vehicle, a moan from deeper in the embankment caught his attention. Bowden searched the area from where he heard the sounds and found Cunnigham embedded in waist-deep grass.
Bowden immediately alerted emergency services including Barnett, who quickly responded to the scene.
“God put you in the right place that day because no one would have seen him,” said Barnett, mirroring what he’d told Bowden the day of the rescue.
Barnett had kept track of Cunnigham’s recovery, noting that the man was in such a grave condition he wasn’t sure if Cunningham would survive the ordeal.
Aug. 1 was the first time Cunningham met his rescuers and he wanted to thank them for their efforts.
“I wanted to say thank you so much. Without you guys I wouldn’t be here,” said Cunningham.
