Back in January, Tim MacDonald decided to turn right instead of left.
It would end up being a life-saving decision.
As MacDonald, a natural gas technician based at NorthWestern Energy’s Huron Operations Center in South Dakota, headed home for the day, something made him switch up his usual route. As he drove down Nevada Avenue in downtown Huron, he noticed an older man walking along the sidewalk. Suddenly, the man fell hard, hitting the ground face-first.
At first, MacDonald thought the icy sidewalk might have been a factor in the fall. He parked, turned on his flashers and yellow beacon, and jumped out to check on the man. The man wasn’t coherent, and MacDonald quickly called 911. Then, while he was waiting for emergency medical services to arrive, he took off his sweatshirt, put it under the man’s head to protect him from the ice and wrapped him up in another jacket from the truck.
Later, MacDonald would learn that the cause of the fall was a stroke—which can be life-threatening without immediate medical help.
He also found out that the man was the uncle of another employee in NorthWestern’s Huron office, Tricia Davis, manager of customer interactions. “If it wasn’t for Tim seeing the fall happen, I’m not sure [my uncle] George would be here today,” she said.
For his good work, MacDonald was recognized with a Life Sustaining Award from the MEA Energy Association, whose members include Midwest energy companies.
“Being a first responder is crucial to what we do,” said MacDonald. “Being that first responder, you have to be calm, cool and collected in your thought process, understand what’s going on, and understand that every situation is different and how critical it may be. We have to be prepared to act appropriately in our community.”
