This month 711 Materials would like to shout out 3 individuals for their selfless display of caring for others in the community in which we operate. The 3 individuals are Eduardo (Eddy) Curiel, Linda Ellison, and Nicole (Nikki) Patterson.
The first event was an incident on Monday October 21, 2024. Linda was training our new driver, Eddy. Eddy was driving the truck, and Linda was in the passenger seat. Shortly after leaving our Waterford aggregate quarry, Eddy pointed out that he seen something on the road ahead. Almost simultaneously, through the onboard camera you can see a cloud of dust. Linda reported that she thought it was a farmer working at the nearby almond orchard. However, as they got closer, they identified that a car had driven off the road. Upon leaving the road the car went up the side of a 5- to 6-foot-tall berm. It rode up the side of the berm and came down the same side it went up. As the vehicle came down, it overturned and ended up coming to a stop upside down on its roof. Linda immediately called 911 to report the incident. While she was talking to the dispatcher, Eddy pulled the truck over. Once pulled over, Eddy jumped out of the truck and crossed the road to check on the occupants. He discovered that there was one adult female in the car. His immediate response was to get her out of the running vehicle. However, she was restrained by the seatbelt. Eddy with his quick thinking, ran back to the truck to grab a knife. He then ran back to the car to cut the seatbelt and free the woman from the restraint and ultimately free her from the vehicle. This display of courage and caring for others ultimately could’ve been the difference of life and death for the woman in the vehicle. Linda and Eddy’s quick actions helped this woman get out of the vehicle safely. We asked both Linda and Eddy how it made them feel after it was all over. Both said, “it felt good to know we helped someone and that it’s what we would expect or want someone to do if we or a loved one was in the same situation”.
The second event was on Thursday October 24, 2024. Nikki was driving westbound on Hwy132 shortly after leaving our Waterford aggregate quarry. While looking ahead she seen a cloud of dust which caught her attention. She said she saw 2 objects flying off the road and landing on the shoulder. As she got closer, she realized that the 2 objects were a motorcycle and the guy that was on it. She immediately called 911 as she pulled to the side of the road. Once she was pulled over in a safe spot, she jumped out of the truck to go check on the gentleman. During this time, she is on the phone with the dispatcher being asked multiple questions. She goes over to the gentleman and realizes that he is knocked unconscious. The gentleman is bloodied, missing his shirt, his shoes, his visor to his helmet is missing. As a few minutes pass, another motorcycle rider pulls over to help. At this point, the injured rider is starting to gain consciousness. At this point he doesn’t know where he is or what is going on. He is trying to get up and move around. Nikki is instructing him to try to remain calm and stay lying down until the paramedics arrive to check him out. She is explaining that they are on their way, and he shouldn’t move because he could have injuries that may get worse as he moves around. Nikki stayed on site with the gentleman until the paramedics arrived and could take over. At this time Linda is coming up the road and sees Nikki’s truck and a motorcyclist on the ground. Linda said to herself, “Oh my god, Nikki just killed someone!” Thankfully that was not the case. Nikki’s swift response to contact 911 and get help to the gentleman may have minimize the extent of his injuries. When we asked Nikki how the whole experience made her feel she said, “It made me feel good that I was able to help and thank god that he put me in that place to be able to help that gentleman”.
All three of these Heroes wanted to share that while they are driving, they see incidents and close calls nearly every day. They are continuously on rural roads and other motorists are always in a rush to pass them or other trucks on the road. They would like to remind everyone that these are examples of what can happen while in a rush or distracted while driving. Luckily these individuals had minor injuries, however it could have been way worse, and they are happy they were able to help.
Comments