You often hear of officers and fire men saving the day but what about your local sanitation worker?

Anthony Hodgkiss, a sanitation worker for the City of Elmira, was honored by City Council with a Certificate of Recognition Monday evening for helping an Elmira woman who had fallen following an ice storm.

In a letter to the city, Joe Kosmicki, husband to the woman, shared as his wife attempted to bring their recycling bin to the curb following the storm. She slipped and fell, resulting in a fracture of three vertebrae in her spine.

Hodgkiss arrived minutes later and rushed to help Madeline Kosmicki, then called 9-1-1. Rather than continuing on his route, Hodgkiss stayed with Kosmicki until a medical crew arrived.

“All I did was just help a lady. I would expect that out of anybody. It feels nice to be recognized and know people are watching,” said Hodgkiss

Kosmicki’s husband was out-of-town on business when the incident occurred and said he was overwhelmed with emotion that someone could be that kind of a human being.

“Oh, he’s a hero! He did the right the thing absolutely. He will always be on our hero list in our house,” said Kosmicki

The letter goes on to say, our special thanks go to Mr. Anthony Hodgkiss for his extraordinary concern for another human being during a time of extreme physical and emotional stress.

Hodgkiss has only been working for the city for roughly six months, but the memory of his good deed will last a lifetime.