Brandon Shadwick and Austin Camp of Lawson Electric Company
photo by Lawson Electric
Lawson Electric workers Austin Camp and Brandon Shadwick were on their way home from a worksite in Dalton Tuesday around 5:45 p.m. when they experienced gridlock on I-24 near East Ridge. Sitting at a standstill for over an hour and a half, the two watched the water rise and noticed cars beginning to float, including a car belonging to a female who had inadvertently backed her car into a ditch with rushing water moving the vehicle with her still inside.
Pulling on a pair of muck boots, the workers noticed an EPB truck near them and exited their Ford F-450 Lawson work truck. Teaming up with EPB worker Troy Plemons, the group used ratchet straps from Lawson’s truck to hold onto as they worked to free individuals and provided a boring tool, which is typically used for ditch work, to Mr. Plemons in order to break the windows of cars and bring victims to safety. The group worked together for over two hours moving individuals from their vehicles to the back of the EPB truck, to the top of barrier walls in the median or to the back of their truck. “We moved people as high as we could,” said Mr. Shadwick.
Approximately two hours into the rescues, they were joined by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and later by Tennessee State Troopers in the rescue efforts.
“We moved between 25 and 35 people,” said Mr. Shadwick. “From babies to seniors, we just kept moving. We didn’t talk to each other. We just worked as hard and as fast as we could to move people to safety.”
The Lawson team made their way home shortly before midnight after the experience.
“I went home and told my wife I loved her and asked about the kids,” said Mr. Shadwick. “I’m so glad this didn’t happen to her.”
Both Mr. Camp and Mr. Shadwick are tired but grateful they were able to help.
They are also very grateful that their truck only sustained some minor flooding. “That was a real plus,” said Mr. Camp. “We’ve spent today drying our tools and the truck and we’re back at it.”