Zach Radford of People’s Electric Cooperative has encountered quite a few sights during his 10-year career but nothing as dramatic as what unfolded recently on a country road outside the co-op’s Ada, Oklahoma, headquarters.
In mid-March, the construction crew lead lineworker and his colleague, Tanner Murdaugh, rescued an injured woman from her wrecked car moments before it erupted in flames. The driver survived the accident and was later airlifted to an Oklahoma City hospital, where she was treated for broken bones and other injuries.
“I’ve come across one other wreck—a rollover wreck—while on the clock about four or five years ago, but it wasn’t as extreme. There wasn’t anyone hurt,” Radford said.
Both men had just left the co-op and had gone about two miles when they saw the accident. The driver of a four-door sedan had left the road, crossed the yellow line and hit a tree, head-on, just missing a power pole. Smoke was coming out from under the car’s hood.
Radford and Murdaugh, a line technician, pulled over to investigate, “when the driver door opened, and we realized someone’s still in the car, and it’s starting to catch fire.”
“She was pretty banged up,” Murdaugh said. “She was kind of coherent but really had no idea what was going on.”
The driver had a broken wrist, likely from the impact of her hands on the steering wheel, as well as a broken leg, according to Murdaugh. After he and Radford unbuckled her seat belt, they moved her about 25 yards from the wreckage to safety and stayed with her until first responders arrived a few minutes later.
By then, the car was in flames. “It was like a movie. The flames were shooting up higher than the roof of the car,” Murdaugh said.
Safety training at the Oklahoma co-op prepares line crews to assess and respond quickly in the event of damaged poles and wires or other electrical emergencies. That training, plus regular CPR and AED certification, helps crews keep cool heads and act quickly during emergency situations.
“We invest heavily in training because our employees may be called upon to respond in difficult and unpredictable situations at any moment. Zach and Tanner’s actions reflect the calm judgment, compassion and readiness we strive to develop across our organization,” said Kevin Wood, the co-op’s executive vice president and CEO.
In addition to training, “this situation also speaks to Zach and Tanner’s character,” Wood said. “Their willingness to step in, serve others, and respond with genuine kindness reflects the type of people they are both on and off the job.”
Victoria A. Rocha is a staff writer for NRECA.