By Warren Cornwall
Herald Writer
When workers are told to focus on customer service, it usually doesn’t mean rescuing a teen-age girl pinned beneath a car in knee-deep water.
But a Snohomish County road crew near Bothell did just that in late October. Monday, the seven men met face-to-face with the girl and her family, and were praised for quick action that wasn’t exactly part of their job description.
"I’m just really thankful you guys were there that day," said 17-year-old Kara Penney, who is healing from a broken back from her crash.
On Oct. 26, Mike Boxford, Brian Bryant, Rich Byrd, Pat Driscoll, Steve Miller, Robert Ranger and Zack Reed heard the sound of a racing car engine as they walked down a gravel maintenance road next to county water-retention ponds at the corner of 228th Street SE and Locust Way.
They turned to see a speeding 1969 Volkswagen Beetle, with Penney at the wheel, swerve between several trucks, slide off the road, bash into an embankment, flip over a fence and come to rest on its side in one of the ponds.
Several of them quickly waded out to the car, looked inside, and couldn’t see Penney, Byrd said. That’s when they decided she might be underwater, pinned beneath the car. The men rolled the car upright and found her there, thrown almost completely from the car during the crash.
Reed, the crew chief, held her head above water. They didn’t move her, fearing they might injure her further.
"I think we all thought, ‘What if that was our sister, daughter, wife, mother?" said Reed, explaining why they acted so quickly.
The Inglemoor High School junior wound up at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for four days. A throttle that became stuck open apparently caused the accident, said Penney’s mother, Joni. The girl was unable to stop the car with the brake or emergency brake, she said.
The family presented each of the crew members with a collection of stories, "Random Acts of Kindness," a Starbucks gift certificate, and a photo of Kara. The county also gave them plaques and the monthly customer service award.
"I would say when it comes to service this is probably far beyond our expectations," County Executive Bob Drewel said.
You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.
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