Team Work
Team Work
The hum of traffic at the busy intersection of East Lombard and Commerce Streets in Baltimore City was typical background noise for one of BGE’s gas construction maintenance and repair crews—until their day was interrupted by a loud crash.
A car had suddenly raced down East Lombard and passed their work area before barreling headlong into five other vehicles stopped at a light on South Street.
The crew, led by Chief Underground Mechanics Charles Nicholson and John McCormick, stopped what they were doing and ran toward the accident scene. While Underground Mechanic Tim Alimo called 911 to report the emergency, Underground Mechanic Lex Myers rushed over to one of the vehicles to help a driver, who appeared dazed. That’s when he noticed flammable fuel leaking from one of the damaged cars.
The crew skillfully guided all those involved in the accident to safety, while another member swiftly retrieved a fire extinguisher. “We also set up an exclusion zone around everything that was going on to redirect pedestrians from the area,” said McCormick, “[and] to give EMS plenty of room to do everything they had to do safely.”
According to BGE, the swift response of the GCM&R crew—Nicholson, McCormick, Myers, Kevin Gemmill, Chris Culotta, Darnel Hurst, Tim Alimo and Tom Bridges—exemplifies the utility’s dedication and commitment to maintaining the highest standards of public safety and emergency response.
“We were able to fall back on our training that BGE gives us for dealing with these kinds of situations,” said McCormick. “It’s not often that we’re presented with a situation like this.”
Added Myers, “Everyone saw the gravity of the situation, knew what needed to be done, and we all did it.”
“It was a really rough day,” continued McCormick, “but in the end, I was very proud of our crew and I’m glad that we were here to help the people in need.”
For a firsthand account of the impact, watch McCormick and Myers recount the car rescue here.