'My kids have a dad because of that man': Columbia County deputy, man he saved recount heroic 2020 call

Columbia County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Tim Johnson on Aug. 10, 2020 received a call about a man who stopped breathing while driving on Washington Road.

It was pouring down rain with heavy traffic and Johnson was the first to arrive.

Johnson immediately began CPR on 32-year-old Will Johnson after he was pulled from his car. After giving chest compressions in the middle of Washington Road, Johnson used an AED to bring him back to life.

Will Johnson, who was dead for seven minutes and is now 36 years old, said he doesn't know how he can thank Tim Johnson enough for not only saving him, but his whole family's lives.

The Johnsons' story

For Will, who was just 32 years old at the time of his medical emergency, it was just a normal day.

"I was working in the yard all day and I was going to pick up something to eat with my middle son," he said. "My wife, daughter and youngest son decided to come, too, and I was just driving into town like normal."

While everything went dark for Will, his wife, Morgan, remembers those seven distressing minutes vividly.

After being resuscitated by Johnson, Will was taken to the hospital where they implanted a heart defibrillator. He did not wake up until five days after the incident.

"We were rolling up to a red light [at the intersection of Blanchard Road] and we were going slow enough to where I could put the car in park from the passenger seat," she said. "I started CPR and called 911. I was in a state of panic at that moment."

"When Will was loaded into the ambulance, [Johnson] came up and gave me his card and said, 'Whenever you have a minute to sit down and process everything, just call me and let me know what happens,'" Morgan said.

Once Morgan realized Will was going to survive, she called Johnson to let him know and they met again shortly after Will returned home from the hospital.

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Will said the event was life-changing for him and his family, and he still faces anxiety about driving alone.

"It's always in the back of your head," he said. "If I'm on Washington Road and I pass Blanchard Road, we automatically think about it."

However, the family said they feel an ongoing sense of comfort from Johnson.

"We see him literally everywhere," Will said. "One year to the day it happened, I told my wife I wouldn't mind meeting up with him and getting a picture. Later that day, I happened to be in a parking lot where he was responding to a call. We go to yard sales all the time and at one, it happened to be his wife at their house. Small talk led to 'That's my husband' and 'I'm that guy [he saved].'"

While Will and his wife admitted they may be hyper-aware of Johnson after the whole ordeal, they said they see him constantly.

"Maybe we're always looking for him, but I've seen him at the fair, I see him at football games and directing traffic near the school," Will said.

"It just feels like God is saying there are people all around you that are here to help you," Morgan added.

Johnson said Will's call was one of the rare times deputies are able to do something good and follow through with the person.

"It seems like everywhere I go, somebody will say, 'Hey, you don't know me, but you saved my my brother's life," Johnson said. "That just happened a couple of weeks ago. We were on a different call and it was actually that gentleman's brother."

Johnson, who won a lifesaving award for his heroic actions on the day of Will's medical emergency, said because deputies are already out on the road and can get places quickly, they respond to several medical calls on a weekly basis.

"It's almost a daily occurrence where we're responding to some kind of medical emergency," Johnson said. "It's not all about traffic and arresting people. We're out there all the time providing first aid, from minor scrapes and bruises to shooting victims and stabbing victims. We do it more often than people might think."

But to Will, Morgan and their kids, Johnson will always be more to them than just a deputy doing a job.

"My wife has a husband, my kids have a dad and my parents have a son because of that man," Will said. "He's impacted so many other people's lives by keeping them normal. ... How do you ever thank somebody enough for [saving your life]? You can't thank somebody enough."

Less than a year after saving Will's life, Johnson won another lifesaving award in January 2021. There was road rage incident that turned into a shooting on I-20 and two people were shot. Similar to Will's story, the person who Johnson aided survived.

Getting into policing, public opinion

Johnson, who has worked for the Columbia County Sheriff's Office for 16 years, said growing up in New York he always wanted to serve in law enforcement. He moved to Georgia to pursue his career and worked for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office from 2005 to 2008. Then, he moved over to Columbia County and rose through the ranks.

"My whole family knew that this was a passion that I had and that I would do everything I could to get to where I am today," Johnson said. "It was exciting for them, but they worried about me a whole lot, especially since during the course of my career policing became a little bit more dangerous. Over the years, they [came to] understand I have a very good team behind me that ensures we all go home at the end of the day."

Johnson said some of the increased risk comes from the shift in public attitude toward law enforcement as negative interactions make their way onto the internet.

However, Johnson said if officers are doing their job, all that will circulate is positive interactions.

"Everybody has a cell phone and is policing the police, which we think is a great thing," he said. "We pride ourselves on doing the right thing. If we're doing the right thing and somebody is videotaping us, that can only be to our advantage."

He said any young people looking to get into law enforcement should prioritize doing the right thing, even when others aren't looking.

"I absolutely love my job," he said. "I wake up every day looking forward to the job because it's completely different every day. It's just making sure that you're doing the right thing and that you're helping people as much as you can."

This story is part series honoring area law enforcement officers during National Police Week.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Meet the Columbia County deputy who has won two lifesaving awards