It began as a normal morning Jan. 3 when Catarino Zapata and Craig Brown arrived at their Wyoming Department of Transportation work site east of Greybull to clean up an ice flow coming in from the Bighorn Mountains.
They were placing traffic control signs at each end of the zone, and while putting down the last sign, they watched as a man pulled off the side of the highway.
Zapata approached the vehicle and noticed the man was bleeding, he told Cowboy State Daily.
“I talked to him through the driver’s side door and then that’s when I saw what had happened,” Zapata said, explaining it became clear the driver had tried to take his own life. “I calmly asked him to pull over so we could take care of him and what we needed to do.”
Working quickly, Zapata, Brown and fellow WYDOT employees Fred Sherburne and Logan Whpple administered first aid to the man, called for emergency services and stabilized him.
Since Sherburne, Zapata and Whipple are trained volunteer firefighters, they’re trained to respond to emergency situations.
It was a 30-minute wait for medical services to arrive, but ultimately the man survived his injuries.
Recognizing Heroics
Then, the four WYDOT workers got back on the job.
But their efforts that day weren’t forgotten, and last month they were given the G. Clyde Larson Memorial Award for saving the man’s life.
The award recognizes acts of heroism by WYDOT employees, either on or off the job.
“I have the great pleasure of working with these guys on a daily basis,” Scott Thomas, WYDOT supervisor, told Cowboy State Daily.
“I see their willingness to help others every day," he said. "The way they work as a team, they turned a dire situation that for sure wasn't going to end well into the best possible ending. I'm very proud and thankful to be able to work with these guys.”
Despite seeing a bloody, potentially traumatic scene, the four men were not fazed by the situation.
They had a short debriefing, but other than that, they got back to work clearing the ice flow.
And although they are being hailed as heroes by numerous staffers within WYDOT, including Director Darin Westby, the four Basin employees remain humble.
“It’s all in a day’s work, because that’s what we’ve got to do,” Zapata said. “We’ve got to protect people that are around us, especially on our highways.”
Ellen Fike can be reached at ellen@cowboystatedaily.com.
