For Columbia Gas of Ohio Field Technician Curtis Van Vlerah, April 12 started like most other mornings. He was in his Columbia Gas vehicle on a loop connecting I-475 to I-75 in Toledo, not far from the Ryder MOD where he reports. However, his morning took a turn when he noticed the car in front of him pulling to the side of the highway – and a semi-truck further ahead flipped on its side, wheels still spinning.
Curtis, a Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army of 18 years with three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and a COH employee of six years, didn’t even question whether he should stop to help.
“Once I got out, I saw two gentlemen (in the truck cab). The passenger’s eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving. My first thought was worst case scenario,” Curtis said. “I grabbed my first aid kit and I said, let’s go.”
The woman who was in the car directly in front of Curtis happened to be a nurse, and she and Curtis immediately assessed the situation to determine how they could help the accident victims while waiting for emergency services to arrive. While the truck driver appeared to be alert and OK, his passenger was banged up and his head was bleeding. By Curtis’ estimation, he had broken teeth, a dislocated shoulder and a fairly severe laceration across his head.
A third truck then pulled over – driven by an off-duty firefighter who happened to be passing by. He and Curtis got to work helping the two men through the busted windshield, then the nurse took over.
“The nurse just started checking everything. She used my first aid kit that I brought when I ran up to the truck,” Curtis said. “Luckily I had gloves and gauze in there for that.”
Curtis and the firefighter brought the men to the guard rail to sit while they checked on them. Curtis’ training and experiences in the Army have given him the skills to assess someone’s condition following a traumatic event – while making sure not to do any more harm.
“The biggest thing was making sure that they were alert, breathing and making sure that they didn’t have major bones sticking out or things like that,” Curtis said. “The biggest thing is when you have a situation happen like this, that person’s adrenaline is going crazy and so is ours, so I wanted to make sure I’m not going to hurt this person more.”
After an ambulance, police and fire arrived, Curtis stepped back, knowing he had done what he could to ensure the men in the truck were OK. While the passenger was taken away by ambulance, Curtis tried to help the truck driver find his phone. When they failed, Curtis offered up his own.
Once phone calls to families had been made and both men were on their way to the hospital, Curtis’ job was done. His quick thinking and mindfulness to check on them while ensuring he didn’t harm them more made all the difference in a life-changing situation. And while much of that mentality came from his Army training, it also comes from his Columbia training.
“The Columbia Gas mentality is we’re here for the public and safety,” Curtis said. “No matter what, your gut is going to tell you that it’s not a good situation, to stop and help and do everything you can to help the community and each other.”
Though the situation unfolded quickly and Curtis’ response was immediate, he never considered just driving by. He said he was grateful that he was able to utilize his military training and that a nurse was on the scene to help, too.
“I’ll be honest, it’s hard for me because of my military background to talk about this situation. I’m trying to be a good person, a good worker and individual; my morals told me I had to stop,” Curtis said. “I’m just doing what’s right, and doing what I know I can do.”
