Caltrans Maintenance Equipment Operator II

Department of Transportation

1/20/2004

Special Act Award (Gold)

On January 20, 2004, California Department of Transportation employees Jonathan B. Bevan, Steve Carroll, Keith A. Laub and Henry Harden performed acts of heroism at risk to their personal safety when they prevented an occupied vehicle from plummeting over a snowy mountain cliff. At 2:10 P.M., an SUV hit a patch of icy roadway south of Big Bear on State Highway 38 and spun off the highway near Onyx Summit. The vehicle landed on its side and was perched precariously against a tree on a slope - about 800 feet above the canyon with the engine still running, the tires still spinning, and the driver helplessly trapped inside. A retired Los Angeles police detective witnessed the accident and flagged down a Caltrans vehicle driven by Henry Harden. With the SUV slowly slipping down the mountainside, Mr. Harden immediately radioed for help. Within minutes a Caltrans snowplow driven by Keith Laub arrived. Soon thereafter, Jonathan Bevan and Steve Carroll arrived on the scene. Jonathan Bevan and Steve Carroll provided the safety zone for Mr. Harden and Mr. Laub to work at securing the overturned vehicle to keep it from plummeting into the canyon. The situation was very dangerous; another vehicle lost control on the icy road and crashed within 15 feet of the snowplows. Mr. Bevan and Mr. Carroll marked off the area with flares and began a flagging operation to control traffic and ensure that emergency vehicles could gain access. They moved onlookers to a safe area and, to give vehicles more traction, applied cinders to the roadway. Meanwhile, at 8500 feet, with snow falling, Mr. Laub took a chain from the snowplow, climbed down the dangerously steep and icy slope, attached the chain to the SUV’s axle and secured the other end to one of the Caltrans snowplows. Mr. Harden then climbed down the steep, icy incline, attached another chain to the SUV and secured the other end to a second snowplow. To stabilize the SUV, the snowplows were then positioned to draw the chains into a taut “V.” Understandably, the SUV’s driver was visibly relieved. They monitored the vehicle and the driver until rescue crews arrived. Emergency personnel then pried the door open and carried the driver to safety, who was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation and released the same day. Without a thought to their own personal safety, Mr. Bevan, Mr. Carroll, Mr. Harden and Mr. Laub assisted in the rescue effort that saved the driver’s life.