On June 2, 2022, South Central Electric Association lineworkers Tanner Smith, John Smith, and Steve Sell were working in the Bingham Lake area just north of State Highway 60. Tanner heard a loud noise and saw a car and RV collide, sending the RV sliding down the highway on its side.

Tanner yelled to Steve to get the pickup and began running towards the accident. Upon arriving at the scene, they used the pickup to block off the area. They first checked on the woman driving the car, that stated she was ok. They then turned to the RV to find that two elderly residents of Arizona were trapped inside. Tanner and Steve used a claw hammer, removed the front windshield, and helped the two out of the RV.

John Smith had arrived just a few minutes after Steve and Tanner. John directed traffic while Tanner and Steve were working on the RV. After getting the passengers out of the RV, the linemen secured the scene and directed traffic until law enforcement arrived. All the occupants were treated at the local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Thanks to Tanner, Steve, and John for their quick response to help secure the scene on a major highway in our area. Tanner and Steve are both volunteer firemen with the Jeffers fire department. The safety training that our linemen receive from MREA and others helps provide them with the ability to assist others in many different circumstances, whether on the job or near the job site.

MREA commends John, Tanner, and Steve as LIFEGuards who took quick action and rescued the injured people while ensuring the scene was safe and no one else would get hurt. They lived their commitment to safety and actively cared for others.