For lineworkers like Kyle Hammaker, the primary focus each day is to keep everyone safe at every work site and make sure everyone returns home each night the same way they arrived for work that day.

So it was no surprise that Hammaker’s protective instincts kicked in when he noticed someone who appeared to be in distress while he was traveling to a work site recently.

Hammaker, a PPL Electric Utilities employee for 13 years, was traveling along Route 230 in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, when he saw a man who appeared to be struggling while walking along the shoulder. After passing the man, he looked his rearview mirror and noticed he had fallen to the gravel-covered ground.

Hammaker immediately found a safe place to pull over and rushed to help. He soon determined the fallen man appeared to be injured and was barely breathing. While he was providing assistance, another passerby who stopped to help called 911 for an ambulance. Hammaker, who feared that the backpack the man had wrapped around himself may have been restricting his breathing,  found a way to remove it.

“Throughout the situation, I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I knew this person needed help,” Hammaker said. “He was in and out of consciousness and I just wanted to be there for him to keep him calm.”

Within minutes, an ambulance arrived, as did a sister of the fallen man. She indicated that her brother was likely experiencing an epileptic seizure. The medics providing assistance quickly began giving the man the care he needed and transported him to a hospital.

Hammaker was grateful for the quick response by the medical team, not to mention the first aid training he’s received in the past.

Mike DiCicco, a PPL Electric Utilities field manager for the Harrisburg and Lancaster regions, praised Hammaker for taking swift, decisive action to help someone in need.

“Kyle is no stranger to taking responsibility during emergencies as he works on our daytime crew,” DiCicco said. “I am so thankful and proud that he stopped and took the action that he did. This act of service and kindness is a testament to Kyle’s character.”