Caltrans Maintenance Supervisor

Department of Transportation

12/28/2016

Special Service Award (Silver)

Around midnight on December 28, 2016, a vehicle traveling on Hwy 50 left the roadway, became air-born, and landed upside down quite a distance off the highway in the American River. In the vehicle was a family of four. Caltrans Maintenance Supervisor Shawn Morgan had just gotten off duty from the Kyburz Maintenance Yard and was heading home when he noticed a group of vehicles parked off the roadway along with several people on the shoulder of the road. He turned his vehicle around to determine what had happened and to see if he could help. It was then that on-lookers told him there was a car on its roof in the river and they believed there were people trapped inside. Mr. Morgan called the Traffic Management Center, as well as the Kyburz Maintenance Yard for help. On-lookers had already called 911. He climbed down over the snowy, icy rocks and boulders, and reached the upturned car. Mr. Morgan assisted a young female passenger up to on-lookers. He then assisted the adult female passenger up the boulders to on-lookers, instructing them to put her in a car to warm her up. Once the car was up-righted, Mr. Morgan assisted the adult male driver to the river bank. He was in no condition to be moved further. When the boy was brought to the river bank, Mr. Morgan assisted with CPR, and with transporting him up to the ambulance once emergency personnel arrived. All victims were taken to the hospital but the boy did not survive. The night this happened, although it wasn’t snowing at the time, there was an accumulation of snow on the ground and the temperature was in the 20’s. With no regard for his own safety, Mr. Morgan’s heroic service saved three lives. The State of California takes great pride in presenting this Silver Medal of Valor to Caltrans Maintenance Supervisor Shawn Morgan.