They were called into action because the Highway 52 reconstruction project was going to make it very difficult to get the donor heart to a Mayo Clinic transplant team in time to save the recipient's life.
A ceremony was held in Rochester today in remembrance of the Minnesota Department of Transportation employees who have lost their lives while on the job over the years.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) just posted an update about the progress of that major Highway-52 road construction project north of Rochester.