Maintenance crew goes above and beyond to help rescue missing traveler
By Mike Allende
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, and we couldn't be more thankful for the incredible caring actions of our Blewett Pass maintenance crew workers recently.
Lynell McFarland, a 68-year-old woman from Spokane Valley, went missing on Thursday, Nov. 18 after leaving a friend's house in Ellensburg. A Silver Alert was issued and the Kittitas County Sheriff's office launched a search.
Meanwhile, Aaron Byrd, our Maintenance Lead Tech for Blewett Pass, was off duty when he noticed a social media post about the missing person, which included a picture of where her cellphone had last pinged from. He recognized the location and alerted the night maintenance crew, letting them know where to look.
 |
| The car of a missing driver who went over an embankment on Blewett Pass was tracked down by our maintenance workers after one of them recognized the location of the last place the cell phone of the driver pinged. |
Heading out to the spot near the Blewett Pass summit in snowplows at about 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 22, maintenance techs Koby Todd and Gunnar Lantz checked over an embankment and spotted a vehicle about 40 feet down that matched the description of the car. As you can see in these pictures, it's remarkable they spotted it given that it was dark, the vehicle is black and it was surrounded by trees and debris. Knowing precisely where to look and taking the extra time to do so was vital.
 |
| Emergency responders rescue a woman who went over an embankment on Blewett Pass and was stuck in her car for several days until our maintenance team tracked down the car. |
Our crew alerted emergency responders who roped down over the embankment. Thankfully, Lynell was still conscious in her vehicle!
She was transported to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee with minor injuries.
 |
| A Silver Alert was issued for Lynell McFarland after she went missing after leaving her friend’s house in Ellensburg. Our maintenance team was able to find her over an embankment near the Blewett Pass summit. |
Our road workers look at these type of situations as nothing out of the ordinary – just something they do as part of their job. But we know differently.
Yes, helping the public is something they do every day. But acts like this go above and beyond their normal work, and we couldn't be more proud of them. It was truly extraordinary actions they took to help the stranded woman and we are so grateful to have outstanding people like them working on our roads to help keep the public safe.
We are thankful for them today, and every day. And we're also very thankful that Lynell was rescued and is spending Thanksgiving getting the care she needs.
Post a Comment for "Maintenance crew goes above and beyond to help rescue missing traveler"