Making a Difference: Near Miss
As he was driving down Highway 501 on the way back to Florence from a job in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Stephen “Ricky” Smith missed his exit.
The Dominion Energy South Carolina gas operations technician turned around to go back. That’s when a sudden movement caught his eye, and as he watched in shock, a dark red SUV lost control, riding through a ditch and into a chain-link fence before ramming into three parked cars.
Smith has worked in the natural gas industry for 14 years, but he’s also been a volunteer firefighter for 20 years. So, he immediately turned and ran to help.
The scene was one of total disarray. Smoke was pouring from the car. The property owner—a mechanic who repaired cars—had run out to see what had happened, and other cars had stopped to help too. The female driver had been able to get out, but Smith saw that she had thrown open the back door and was trying to grab something.
That something turned out to be someone: Her disabled son, who was unable to walk. “She couldn’t get him out, and the vehicle had started burning,” said Smith.
Smith says he didn’t have time to feel anything, but his training—both as a firefighter and gas operations technician—kicked in. He swiftly helped to move the son to safety, checked his condition, and helped make the son more comfortable by grabbing towels from his truck to support the young man’s head.
The mother mentioned that her son’s medications and other supplies were still in the car, too. So, even with flames licking the hood, Smith moved quickly and safely to get those out of harm’s way.
In shock, the mother could only say a brief thank you before EMTs took her and her son to the hospital for treatment. “I just did what anybody else would do,” said Smith.
But if he hadn’t missed his turn, the situation could have turned out very differently. “I think God has a reason for everything, and I was put in the right place at the right time,” he added.