DALTON, Ga. — Eight people might owe their lives to Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Shawn Giles, who put himself at risk to pull them from the wreckage of two vehicles as gasoline dripped onto them in December 2019.

Last week, Giles, a 19-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, was presented with the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association’s Deputy Sheriff of the Year Award of Valor at the group’s annual banquet at Lake Lanier Islands.

“We went down last Wednesday (July 29),” Giles said. “I found out I’d been nominated only the Monday before. I was very honored when I found out that I won, very surprised and very happy. It’s always good to be celebrated for something that you do. I guess the danger level for this was a little bit higher, and that’s why I was recognized.”

Giles and Deputy Andy Center were bringing a prisoner back from Turner County in south central Georgia when they witnessed an 18-wheeler jackknife and slide off I-75 near the I-75/I-475 split near Macon. It knocked two vehicles off the road, with one landing on top of the other.

Center remained with the prisoner, and Giles rushed down an embankment to the two vehicles.

“I was on the SRT (Special Response Team) team, which is like a SWAT team. I’ve answered calls for murder. I’ve went into situations were people were shooting. But this is the first time I’ve had to stop and have a little conversation with myself,” Giles said.

When he got to the vehicles, he found the top vehicle “was smoking bad” and dripping gasoline. Seven people were trapped in the bottom vehicle, including two children. A young woman was trapped in the top vehicle.

Giles said he went to the bottom car first because of the two children.

“The gasoline was pouring onto me and the two children as I was trying to pull them out,” he said. “I thought to myself, ‘Hey, you’ve got two boys of your own you’ve got to go home to.’ But then I just told myself, ‘Get in there and get those babies.'”

Giles got everyone out and away from the vehicles, administered first aid and stayed with them until local first responders arrived.

Sheriff Scott Chitwood said he isn’t surprised that Giles put himself at risk to save others.

“He is an outstanding employee, very dedicated,” Chitwood said. “This is a very prestigious award, and he is very deserving of it.”

“To our knowledge, everybody survived and made a full recovery,” Chitwood said in his letter nominating Giles for the honor.

Giles is also a martial arts instructor and former fighter. That’s how Whitfield County Board of Commissioners Chairman Lynn Laughter first met him more than 20 years ago, before he joined the sheriff’s office, when he was her karate instructor.

“He was just the best instructor,” she said. “He was himself excellent at karate. But he was also an excellent teacher.”

Laughter said she was “not surprised at all” when she heard about the rescues he performed.

“He is a natural leader. He is very brave and he values life,” she said. “He reacted exactly like I would have expected in that situation, and I’m very proud he has been recognized for his bravery. He received a very important honor, and he deserved it.”