Senior Caltrans Photographer

Department of Transportation

12/16/2014

Special Act Award (Gold)

On December 16, 2014, at approximately 1:15 p.m., California Department of Transportation Senior Caltrans Photographer Steven Hellon was on assignment and taking photos of the Amtrak train station in Merced. Mr. Hellon was kneeling in front of a train, taking photos as it was leaving the station, when he noticed a woman running along the platform, frantically trying to board the train as it was pulling away. The woman started banging on the side of the train with her hand, but it continued forward. Suddenly, the woman lost her footing and fell between the platform and the moving train. Seeing the woman fall, Mr. Hellon dropped his camera and without hesitation, sprinted over to where she was lying on the tracks. Sliding down the tracks on his backside, Mr. Hellon placed his arms under her arms, lurched backwards with all his might, and pulled the woman free seconds before the wheels of the train rolled over the spot where her legs had been.