Caltrans Equipment Operator II

Department of Transportation

4/20/2011

Special Service Award (Silver)

On April 20, 2011, at approximately 7:45 a.m., Caltrans Equipment Operator II Barry Morrison was completing a routine snow removal operation on a closed section of State Route 2 in the Angeles National Forest when he noticed an object that appeared to be a bear. As he got closer, he saw it was a woman, waving her arms for assistance. The woman had run out of gas while taking a drive and attempted to walk twenty miles to town. She had no cell phone reception and soon the battery died. During her trek, she slipped and fell down an icy embankment and was injured. She spent a freezing night in the snow with no jacket and only sandals on her feet. The next day she attempted to scale the embankment because she knew she would die if she did not try to rescue herself. Mr. Morrison climbed over an eight foot snow drift and then hiked down the icy embankment to reach the woman. Once he reached her, he saw that she was barefoot, bloody, exhausted, and very cold. The temperature was in the 30’s and there had been a large snow storm the day before. Mr. Morrison went to his vehicle and retrieved food and clothing. Additional Caltrans Equipment Operators arrived on the scene and Mr. Morrison left the woman in their care while he drove to a location with cellphone service to call for medical assistance. The woman, suffering from hypothermia and frostbite as well as numerous cuts and abrasions, was soon airlifted to safety.