Lineman restoring power after Milton saves people stuck in SUV, Florida officials say
A lineman working to restore power after Hurricane Milton is being called heroic for pulling his bucket truck off a Florida highway to save two people trapped in a crumpled SUV.
The rescue happened shortly after noon Sunday, Oct. 13, in Wauchula, when Cameron Elias spotted the SUV on its side in a water-filled ditch, Peace River Electric Cooperative, Inc. said in an Oct. 13 Facebook post. Wauchula is about a 70-mile drive southeast from Tampa.
“Cameron jumped into action ... and made his way to the overturned vehicle on foot. Bystanders were attempting to break the windshield of the vehicle,” the cooperative reports.
“He first used a trailer hitch that someone nearby had, but had no luck in puncturing the windshield. He then (tried) kicking a small hole in the windshield with his work boots. Once he had the hole started, he used his work gloves to provide protection for his hands as he grabbed and yanked at the glass pieces to enlarge the hole.”
Once the two people were pulled free, Elias used his skills as an emergency medical technician to do “a quick assessment” of their condition, officials said.
Details of their condition weren’t released. Elias cut his forearm while removing the glass, officials said, but bandaged it himself and refused medical treatment.
“Cameron should be commended for his quick response and awareness in helping our community not only by helping restore power to those impacted by Hurricane Milton, but going above and beyond in responding to this traffic accident as well,” the cooperative wrote.
Elias was working under Bird Electric at the time of the rescue, officials said.
The cooperative’s Facebook post had nearly 900 reactions and comments as of Oct. 16, many from people hailing Elias as a hero.
“Restores your faith in humanity!” one commenter wrote on the cooperative’s Facebook page.
“You never know who will be there as your Guardian Angel,” another said.
Peace River Electric Cooperative, Inc., provides service to 10 counties, many of which were directly in the path of Hurricane Milton’s vicious trek across Florida.
The storm made landfall late Wednesday, Oct. 9, south of Tampa and initially cut power to nearly 3.3 million people, McClatchy News reports.
This story was originally published October 15, 2024 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Lineman restoring power after Milton saves people stuck in SUV, Florida officials say."