A Labor Day to Remember
It was like a scene out of a movie: In a quiet neighborhood in Buckeye, Arizona, a car suddenly began zigzagging on the road, speeding up to 100 miles per hour before hurtling across bushes, over a ditch, through a concrete block wall and directly into the side of an apartment complex, shattering the peaceful Labor Day holiday morning.
People inside the complex would later say it felt like an earthquake. Southwest Gas Quality Assurance Auditor David Fingerle, who was heading home with his family, could not believe what he just witnessed. As soon as he saw the collision, he immediately went to help.
Fingerle, a 31-year Southwest Gas employee, and his wife swiftly approached the wrecked vehicle to assess the passenger, the family and other residents at the complex.
The driver had fled the scene, leaving behind his passenger and the residents of the damaged apartment, a single mother and her three young daughters. The car had plowed into their patio, and the impact not only displaced the apartment’s natural gas water heater but also launched the heavy sliding glass door into the table with such force that the table flew several feet into the living room.
The mother later told news media that her daughters were in the kitchen, making sandwiches for lunch. If the accident had happened just a few minutes later, the girls would have been eating at the dining table, directly in the path of destruction. Thankfully, they were left with just minor injuries from broken glass.
“Seeing the extent of the damage was overwhelming, but I knew I had both the training and the compassion to step in and help,” Fingerle said.
During his assessment, Fingerle drew upon his natural gas expertise. After noticing a broken gas line, he turned off the appliance shut-off valve to stop gas flow and secured the gas meter at the stopcock.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the safety-focused training I’ve received through Southwest Gas, which gave me the confidence and skills to respond when it mattered most,” said Fingerle. “Being able to support others during such a chaotic time was a powerful reminder of how important it is to be there for one another. I don’t consider what I did extraordinary. I simply did what I hoped anyone would do in that moment.”