Mar 31, 2017 3 min read

Contractors for Range Resources who were part of a convoy of seven water tankers headed to a well pad rescued a 99-year-old woman who had fallen in a yard in the vicinity of Burgettstown and Eldersville. The woman at first did not want to seek treatment, but she was later found to have suffered a broken pelvis.

Shawn Kelley, a driver for CLB Trucking, heard a member of the convoy, led by Joe Rovny of Equipment Transport, contacting his fellow drivers by radio to help a woman in distress. One driver thought he saw something, while another said he had not, so Kelley was on alert.

“I was the fourth truck,” Kelley said of the group that was en route to the Walasik well. “I pulled off as far to the right side as I could.” Driver Bob Eder also stopped about 7:30 a.m. Thursday. The woman, Norma Paul, was lying face up, leaning on a propped elbow, and was using her other arm to try to flag down someone. She told the drivers she needed help and that a relative was inside her house.

“It was cold out. Her hands were frozen,” Kelley said, not knowing how long the woman had been outdoors.

Kelley and Eder carried her onto a porch, only to discover that the woman was home alone. “We were trying to talk with her to reassure her, and we asked if anything hurt,” Kelley recalled. “She said, ‘My hip, my leg.'”

They took her inside to warm up, and driver Roger Hamric stayed with her while they and two other drivers, Jim Szakos and Ed Armbruster, approached neighboring homes to seek assistance or to ascertain how to reach Paul’s family.

A call to 911 emergency dispatch summoned Jefferson Township volunteer firefighters, and Chris Lawrence responded immediately, said fire Chief Brady Mermon Sr., calling Lawrence “a good guy, a very good guy. He’s a good medic” who lives nearby.

“I couldn’t understand why all these trucks were backed up,” Mermon continued. They talked Paul into going to a hospital by ambulance. She was recovering Friday afternoon, said Mike Boyde, president of Magna Service Agency, Washington, for whom Paul’s grandson, Paul Dellenbaugh, is an escort driver. He was working about 3 1/2 miles away from Paul’s home on Thursday.

Convoys of tankers are preceded by a lighted escort vehicle as a safety precaution, warning drivers of approaching truck traffic.

During their road trips, the tankers normally observe a curfew that keeps them off the road during school bus runs. However, by stopping to help Paul, the drivers were 20 to 25 minutes behind schedule, so school transportation personnel were notified.

“Range is extremely proud of these gentleman for their heroic efforts,” wrote Range Resources-Appalachia LLC spokesman Michael Mackin in an email in response to an inquiry. “While we always emphasize safety and community in all aspects of our business, we are grateful that these employees took those components beyond the well site and helped someone in need.”