Drivers Stranded in Winter Storm Get Help from Tarrant County Courtesy Patrol

Drivers who venture outside during the winter storm and end up in need of help often find it from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Courtesy Patrol.

The group, which works year-round in large pickup trucks, gets noticed the most during extreme weather events like the one this week.

“I really do enjoy helping people,” said Ronnie Sanders, a 20-year veteran of the patrol.

NBC 5 tagged along with Sanders and his partner Dady Moise Thursday evening.

Sanders and Moise are one of four crews that crisscross Tarrant County highways looking for drivers who need help -- from flat tires to running out of gas.

"This one comes from my heart and I'm always proud of it, helping people out there,” Moise said.

It wasn’t long after their shift started that they found someone.

Kywon Hightower was heading home from the grocery store when he hit an icy spot along I-20.

"I slid and hit the wall and my tire came off my truck,” Hightower said.

Soon, along I-35, they found two more people in need.

It was an accident on the ice involving two vehicles.

"I was coming up beside him and all the sudden, he went ‘whoa,’" driver Kirby Hutton said. “He just lost control of his vehicle which is, you know, I'm not mad at him or nothing. People are losing control out here all over the place."

In the frigid conditions, Sanders and Moise changed his flat tire so he could go to a nearby store to exchange information with the other driver, an off-duty police officer, who ended up on the other side of the highway.

"These guys are very well needed because there are several accidents every day,” Hutton said.

For Sanders and Moise, it's on to another call, looking for the next driver to help.

"I really find a lot of enjoyment out of moving them out of the road,” Sanders said.

The program is run by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and paid for with a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation.