Headed to their first equipment repair of the day, a Southern California Edison crew turned down a remote access road in Chino. As they approached a cluster of utility poles, lineworker Robert Zurita’s eyes caught something unusual in the canal nearby.

Zurita slowed, looked again — and hit the brakes.

“All I saw at first was the roof of a car underwater,” said Zurita. “And immediately I’m like, ‘That’s not good.’”

A short distance away, a man chest-deep in cold water clung to rocks. Injured and shivering, the disoriented driver seemed unable to get out on his own.

The bucket truck’s elevated vantage point allowed Zurita to see the man in need of help. Ahead of him, lineman Robert Mendez and electrical crew foreman James Volinski had unknowingly driven past the concealed spot but quickly circled back when they realized Zurita had stopped behind them.

The lineworkers got out of their vehicles and peered over the canal’s edge, rapidly assessing the terrain and deciding next steps.

“All he could say, almost in a whisper, was, ‘Help me,’” Volinski said.

The crew didn’t hesitate. Zurita called 911, tossed a rope down and helped guide the man toward shallower water, assuring him that help was on the way.

Within minutes, a dozen first responders arrived on the scene: a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation fire crew from the nearby California Institution for Men, firefighter paramedics from Chino Valley Fire District, Chino Police Department and ambulance personnel.

The responders confirmed what the linemen already feared: The driver had likely been in the water for hours and showed symptoms of hypothermia.

Emergency responders used an extension ladder to access the wash; then helped the driver into a special rescue stretcher. Using a rigged rope system, they carefully pulled the stretcher up along the sloped ladder and out of the canal. He was then taken to a nearby hospital via ambulance.

“If those linemen hadn’t called for help right away, the driver might not have been found for quite a while in this area,” said Casey May, Chino Valley Fire District captain. “It could easily have led to a very different outcome.”

For the three lineworkers, the incident emphasized why safety and readiness matter.

“None of us panicked that morning,” said Mendez. “Seconds count in our line of work. You can’t panic. You have to react — something our SCE training helped with.”

This is not the first time in his career that Zurita helped rescue someone. About 15 years ago, he and a test technician responded to a car hauler truck fire and pulled the driver from the burning vehicle. For that rescue, Zurita received a Horton Award, which recognizes Edison employees who demonstrate exceptional courage and self‑sacrifice in emergency situations.

In the moment — and even now — awards were the furthest thing from their minds. What really matters: A stranger got a second chance, sending a ripple effect far beyond the scene in the wash.

“It’s bigger than just pulling one person out of the water,” Volinski said. “Hopefully we saved his family from all of that heartache, if we hadn’t been there.”