Jason Hemmaway suffered a debilitating injury when his leg was crushed by his garbage truck, but the Claresholm resident did not allow his new prosthesis to stop him from serving his community.

In November of 2012, Jason, an employee with the Claresholm Public Works Department, stepped out of his garbage truck at his first stop of the day when he encountered a patch of ice.

“I got out of the truck, climbed down, slammed the door, slipped, and the truck drove over me,” recalls Jason.

At the time of the incident, Jason, a volunteer firefighter, did not realize the severity of his injuries until he noticed he was losing a significant amount of blood. Jason instincts kicked in and he relied on the training he received during his recently completed EMR schooling.

“I got my partner to take his belt off and I put a tourniquet on it,” said Jason. “I just laid down and relaxed.”

Fire chief Kelly Starling, a friend of Jason’s, was among the first to respond to the scene. He says what happened next was typical Jason.

“When you first show up your training kicks in but I was a little bit in shock myself because it's one of your friends, one of your fellow firefighters and co-workers,” said Starling. “So a little bit of shock myself and Jason actually started talking me through what needed to be done.”

Despite Jason’s quick thinking, his leg could not be saved. The limb was amputated and Jason spent an extended period in hospital followed by months of rehabilitation. Throughout his rehab, Jason was determined to resume his day-to-day life in his hometown.

“I knew that I didn't want to just sit at home and do nothing,” said Jason. “I wanted to push myself hard to recover, to get back to work, to get back to Claresholm.”

“I love the community of Claresholm.”

The town of Claresholm embraced Jason and, upon his return, he was hired as the community’s bylaw enforcement officer. The agility Jason maintains on his artificial leg is staggering given the fact he’s had the prosthesis for less than a year.

Connor Beagrie, an aspiring firefighter, says he views Jason as a role model.

“Looking up to Jason really inspires me to feel like I could do a lot more with myself than I thought I ever could,” said Jason.

For his dedication to his community and his perseverance in the face of adversity, Jason Hemmaway is this week’s Inspiring Albertan.

With files from CTV’s Darrel Janz