SELKIRK — On the morning of Feb. 26, CSEA member and Thruway Maintenance Supervisor 1 Patrick Bradley was doing routine patrolling and noticed something that immediately stood out to him due to his extensive training.
A Toyota truck was parked in the tandem lot of the Thruway Exit 22 rest stop. His instinct and observational skills led to a vulnerable adult being brought to safety.
The encounter almost didn’t happen.
“Every day, we go out and drive the section,” said Bradley. “We do routine patrolling, looking for downed trees, overflowing culverts, anything that needs attention. It just drew me in because there’s not normally someone there. I was about to drive away but decided to go back.”
Bradley parked and looked over toward the truck. He saw an older man in the driver seat and a dog in the passenger seat. The driver caught his eye and waved him over.
“Can I pay you to make a call on your cell phone?” the man asked Bradley.
“Of course you can make a call, but you don’t need to pay me,” Bradley told the man.
Bradley helped the man call his partner, who had become concerned when he did not arrive home the day before as expected. She had contacted the Connecticut State Police, which had issued a Silver Alert for the man.
As they spoke, Bradley, who is trained as an emergency medical technician, was taking mental notes of the man’s affect and disposition.
The man said his phone died while he was traveling home to Connecticut after visiting his daughter in Pennsylvania. He also described how a lack of navigation contributed to his getting lost and that he ended up at the Canadian border, where he was turned around by border agents. He said he had not eaten in a while and was concerned for his dog, who also was hungry and thirsty.
Bradley retrieved his packed lunch and some bottled water and shared them with the driver and his dog.
“My wife always makes sure I have a lot of food,” said Bradley. “I always have fruit, granola bars and a couple of sandwiches.”
Bradley notified state police and explained that the man seemed disoriented but was refusing medical treatment. The trooper arrived, got the man’s ID and coordinated with his partner to come pick him up.
Bradley was glad he noticed the truck and stopped.
“I’m always alert, always looking,” said Bradley.
Kevin Francis, assistant traffic supervisor and CSEA New York State Thruway Authority Local Albany Division representative, said the trooper who handled the call “told me that Pat went above and beyond his job duties.”
Francis explained that with a shared radio system, they can hear each other’s calls. “[Bradley] was calm, composed and professional,” said Francis.
Spending so much time on the roads, highway workers often find themselves in a “first responder” role. Things just happen in front of them include erratic drivers, a car accident, an injured animal, a medical emergency or even a house fire.
Many highway workers also have additional training as EMTs or firefighters and call on those skills when they find themselves in emergency situations.
Bradley said he was just doing his job and that his co-workers at the Thruway would all do the same in the same circumstance.
“I am a people person,” said Bradley. “I am always glad to help people.”
— Therese Assalian