PPL Electric employees assist victim of Perry County crash

PPL Electric employees assist victim of Perry County crash

Jul 22, 2025 | Community Involvement, Safety and Security

If Preston Edrington’s 35 years at PPL has taught him one thing, it’s that nothing is more important than safety and the safety of those we work with each day.

Edrington, a journeyman mechanic, credits his experience at PPL Electric Utilities and the company’s safety culture for helping him to know what to do — and how to do it safely — when he happened upon a vehicle accident in the Newport area of Perry County recently.

Edrington was traveling on Route 322 from a job site to the Harrisburg Service Center Annex building when unexpected severe weather — heavy rain and wind — began, prompting him to slow down. He soon noticed a vehicle in front of him swerving and striking a guard rail, apparently after hydroplaning and before rolling over multiple times.

That’s when Edrington’s instincts kicked in. He found a safe place along the shoulder of the road to pull over and he safely made his way over to the vehicle after calling 911.

Once at the vehicle, he and another motorist that stopped to assist worked together to determine the condition of the driver inside and find a way to get him out of the vehicle, which was on its side.

“We finally were able to get him out and I said, ‘Are you OK?’ He had a cut on his knee, and I had a first-aid kit, so I brought him to my truck so that he could treat it. The whole time I was watching him closely to make sure he was alright because I knew he was in shock.”

As the man treated himself and awaited help from medics, Edrington’s coworker, Glenn Klinger, worked together to set up traffic cones and triangles to help make other motorists aware of the overturned vehicle and keep everyone safe.

Eventually, state police officers arrived to secure the area and investigate, and medics arrived to provide medical assistance.

“The [emergency medical technicians] came and checked him out and some other volunteers came to assist and they complimented us on how we set up the traffic cones and triangles (to control traffic),” Edrington said.

“Our training all these years at PPL really is what prepared us to respond to something like that.”

PPL Electric lineworker assists man who collapsed near busy road

PPL Electric lineworker assists man who collapsed near busy road

Apr 8, 2025 | Community Involvement, Safety and Security

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.”