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Bowman receives Entergy's Life Saving Award
On Friday, Nov. 4, Holmes Community College lineman school graduate Ben Bowman (Class of Spring 2013) and an Entergy co-worker put their training into action responding to a traffic accident near their worksite. By removing the driver of the car, performing CPR and utilizing an AED, the two saved the man's life.
For their heroism, Bowman and John Burris were recognized by Entergy Louisiana on Feb. 1 with the President's Life Saving Award. He received the award from Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May and Customer Service Vice President Dennis Dawsey.
Bowman and Burris were working on an outage ticket nearby when the accident occurred at the intersection of Highway 73 and Cornerview Road. According to Bowman's plaque, "They immediately rushed to the scene and saw that a man had crashed into a utility pole and was unconscious in his vehicle. They called 911 and were advised to check for vitals and to try and remove the man from the vehicle.
"They determined the man was not breathing and had no pulse so they cut the seatbelt and placed him on the ground to begin manual CPR. Ben and John did manual compressions while another man on site gave rescue breaths for about five minutes until a volunteer fireman arrive. The fireman gave Ben and John the AED to place on the man while the fireman continued rescue breathing with an ambu-bag. They placed the AED and followed instructions and after shocking the man twice, the ambulance arrived and took over. At the time he was transferred to the ambulance he had a pulse and his blood pressure was good."
Bowman said he didn't hesitate in responding. "I did not hesitate to take action, because I am trained by Entergy to not only to be a lineman, but to have the skills necessary for me to participate in the aid of anyone in need," Bowman said. "Of course my instincts did kick in, but we do annual training to prepare us for situations like these."
Bowman is a 2011 Winona Christian School graduate. He and his wife, Victoria, who is a Holmes graduate and former Lady Bulldog softball player, live in Gonzales. Bowman worked at Yazoo Valley EPA after graduating from the lineman program at Holmes before going to work for Entergy Louisiana in April 2015. The Gonzales office covers areas from St. Gabriel to Prairieville, La.
