In an impressive display of quick thinking and courage, a Davis H. Elliot (DHE) foreman became a hero when his on-the-job safety training came into play to save a man’s life.
DHE foreman, Brandon Blackburn, saved the life of a man who had been in a motorcycle accident using his first aid training and a common lineman's knot.
Brandon Blackburn, nicknamed “Blackjack” by his crew when he started in line work nearly 20 years ago, was working on a pole change in Freeburn, a Pike County town with a population of 296, located on the Kentucky-West Virginia border. He was headed to Barrenshe Station to make safety preparations before working on the line when he came upon the scene of a motorcycle accident.
Blackburn was the second person to stop to help the injured motorcyclist. He said the first person had called 911 but wasn’t sure what to do about the rider’s leg which was badly injured and bleeding heavily.
“We take first aid and CPR classes every year,” Blackburn said. “I believe that training, and all the experiences I’ve had in the field, allowed me to jump in and help.”
Blackburn, who lives in Paintsville, said the motorcyclist had been riding “in the middle of nowhere,” but that some traffic would pass by occasionally. He quickly employed his flaggers to manage traffic control for them and he sprang into action to stop the bleeding. Blackburn grabbed a rope from his truck and made a tourniquet around the rider’s leg, using a bowline knot – a knot commonly used by linemen in the field.
Blackburn, along with the aid of a nurse, who was the third motorist to stop and help, was successful in stopping the man's bleeding until the paramedics arrived, which took nearly an hour.
“The guy was pretty upset and saying things like, ‘I’m going to lose my leg,’” Blackburn recalled. “I told him it could be a lot worse; you could have lost your life.’”
Jim Boyette, Blackburn’s supervisor, said his foreman has a helping personality, especially since he also experienced a serious injury and lost part of his finger in an incident that occurred while he was setting up outrigger pads for a truck back in 2013.
“He’s got empathy for other people,” Boyette said. “I know he would stop and help anyone who needed help.”
Tommy Goble, contract coordination supervisor for Kentucky Power, said Blackburn’s life-saving actions are a good example of how first aid training could be needed at any time in daily work or home duties.
“Initially, they were trying to tourniquet the leg with a belt but couldn’t slow the bleeding,” Goble said. “From the photos I saw of the accident, I know Brandon saved a life that day.”
Goble said Blackburn and DHE crews have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in tasks.
“Stopping and assisting in an emergent situation shows a willingness to help someone in need,” he said. “Their dedication and commitment to assisting Kentucky Power in these tasks has not gone unnoticed.”