By Julia Hickey -- A Nipomo man who works for Caltrans has been honored by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for actions that prevented a serious accident and possible fatalities south of Santa Maria last June.Caltrans electrician Brandon Akers, 26, was one of 27 public servants across the state to receive a Governor’s Medal of Valor at a recent ceremony in Sacramento for risking his own safety to save the life of another. Akers was on duty and traveling south on Highway 101 in Santa Maria at 8:15 a.m. June 18 when he saw a Department of Fish & Game Dodge Ram truck driving erratically. The vehicle drifted off the highway with a flat tire, but it swerved back at speeds of 55 to 60 miles per hour.

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