A retired correctional officer who stopped to help a stranger trapped in a wrecked car on Highway 99 last November has formed a continuing relationship with the man's family. Jeffrey Bargstadt received a Gold Medal of Honor after attempting to rescue Inderjit Ahluwalia, who died when a drunk driver struck his car at 117 mph near Arch Road.
Bargstadt received the medal during the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's 40th Medal of Valor ceremony in Galt, according to KCRA. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation identifies him as a correctional sergeant at California Health Care Facility in Stockton and a 2026 Gold Star honoree. Bargstadt and his wife, Paula, were driving near Arch Road when they saw Ahluwalia's wrecked car, and Bargstadt tried to pull him from the vehicle.
Nine Months Later, Ahluwalia's Family Says Thank You in Person
Ahluwalia's family watched the ceremony from the audience, and KCRA reported that relatives said Bargstadt's actions at the crash scene helped them pursue justice for their loved one. The family declined to appear on camera but told the station they were honored to see him receive the medal.
The relationship has continued since the crash. KCRA reported that Bargstadt exchanges text messages with Ahluwalia's family each week and speaks with them by phone at least monthly. The connection grew from Bargstadt's attempt to help at the scene, even though Ahluwalia could not be saved.
Coping Without Guilt, and a Plea to Drivers
Bargstadt told KCRA that his wife, Paula, helped him cope after the crash and that he did not experience survivors' guilt over being unable to save Ahluwalia. He has urged people not to drink and drive and said he has offered to drive people home after they have been drinking rather than allow them to drive.
How the Medal of Valor Program Recognizes Risk
CDCR describes its Medal of Valor as the department's highest award, reserved for employees who distinguish themselves through conspicuous bravery or heroism, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The broader state program has recognized similar acts of courage elsewhere. Folsom State Prison Correctional Officer Michael Miranda received a Silver Star Medal this year for helping free a mother and her two children from a truck that had rolled down a steep embankment near Willits in dense fog in December 2023, as reported by the Folsom Times. Miranda was one of only two state employees statewide to receive the Silver Star distinction this year, and the Governor's Gold Star Medal, the program's highest distinction, went to ten state employees for actions involving extraordinary risk to save others. The outlet noted more than 800 California state employees have received Medals of Valor since the program began in 1959.
What California's Medal of Valor Recognizes
According to the California Department of Human Resources, the Governor's State Employee Medal of Valor is California's highest honor for state employees. Gold or silver medals recognize employees who risked their lives to save others or state property, and the state's Merit Award Program dates to 1950, when the Legislature created it to recognize contributions to state government. Bargstadt's Gold Medal places his recognition in the program's highest medal category. The recent examples described above also include a Silver Star for correctional officer Michael Miranda and Governor's Gold Star Medals for 10 state employees, illustrating the distinction between the two levels of rescue awards.
The medal recognizes Bargstadt's actions at a dangerous roadside scene, while his ongoing contact with Ahluwalia's family reflects the personal consequences of that night. The two families' relationship began with a failed rescue attempt but has continued through remembrance and gratitude.
