RALEIGH – The N.C. Board of Transportation took time out this week to honor employees for their heroics while on the job.
On March 15, NCDOT maintenance worker Bradley Hussey was working in Moore County near U.S. 1 when he saw smoke billow from a passenger car that had smashed into a pine tree. He grabbed a fire extinguisher from his N.C. Department of Transportation utility truck and ran toward the smoldering car.
Two of his co-workers, Chasity Reed and Katelyn Marley, raced toward the scene, too. The two women, who have emergency medical training, climbed into the wreckage and assisted the male driver, who was pinned inside. Minutes later, first-responders arrived.
The women talked to the driver and made sure he continued to breathe while firefighters cut away the wreckage to remove him from the vehicle. The driver was taken by helicopter to a trauma center.
For their heroic efforts, the three NCDOT employees, who work in the roadside environmental unit, received the Extra Mile Award during the regular board meeting Thursday, May 31, in Raleigh. The award recognizes employees for exceeding their regular duties.
The three employees work for the department’s Highway Division 8, which is based in Aberdeen, doing mowing and landscaping work.
“These employees demonstrated a lot of bravery and selflessness to put out the vehicle fire and help this injured driver,” said Brandon Jones, the Division 8 Engineer.
Other employees perform CPR, save life
Five other Division 8 employees were recognized at Thursday’s board meeting with the same awards after they helped save a co-worker’s life. On April 3 on Hollow Hill Road in Randolph County, an NCDOT employee had a heart attack and collapsed while she was doing asphalt patch work.
One employee held her head, while another called 911. The operator instructed the employees on what to do. They took turns performing CPR on the stricken employee. First-responders arrived and resumed CPR on the victim, who was taken to a hospital and released on April 11.
These employees are credited with saving her life: James Bittle, who is the crew supervisor, Luke Teague, Norman Hall, Salvador Escobar and Nicholas Ingold. They work in the division’s Randolph County maintenance office.
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