CenterPoint Energy employee Carol Donnellan was on her regular automated meter reading route early one morning when she came upon a truck stopped at a green light.
Donnellan immediately knew something was wrong. Several other drivers were honking their horns and passing the vehicle, but as she neared the intersection, she noticed that the driver of the truck was slumped in his seat and appeared unresponsive. Concerned for his safety and worried that he was experiencing a medical emergency, Donnellan pulled over and called 911. Within minutes, police and medical personnel arrived to transport the driver to the hospital by ambulance.
Donnellan’s good deed earned her the Humanitarian Award from the Southern Gas Association for her potentially lifesaving efforts. The award is designed to recognize natural gas industry employees whose good Samaritan actions promote human welfare and community responsibility.
Donnellan is very grateful for the award. “To me, helping another where I live and work is putting the ‘golden rule’ of doing the right things for people into action,” she said. “The real heroes are the local police officers who arrived on the scene really quickly to come to our aid.”
In fact, the police officers responded so quickly that they were on the scene before she could even offer the driver assistance.
“At CenterPoint Energy, we put safety first in everything we do—not only for our employees but also our communities. Carol’s actions support CenterPoint Energy’s core values, including initiative,” said Brad Tutunjian, vice president of Gas Operations for CenterPoint Energy. “We are extremely proud of her.”
Donnellan, who has been with the utility for 19 years, said she loves working for CenterPoint Energy and enjoys the people she works with. “I know any of my coworkers would have done the same thing,” she said.