After crashing his car down a steep embankment on a dark stretch of road, 18‑year‑old Corey Zaman clambered back up to the shoulder and waved his phone’s flashlight for help.

“The road wasn’t busy at that time of night, and I really thought I was going to die there,” Zaman said. “But then these guys pulled up.”

The “guys”: Southern California Edison troubleman Joe Owens and lineman Angel Solache, who were driving from Highland to their next repair job in Beaumont. When they noticed a flicker of light just ahead, they pulled over and discovered a bleeding, disoriented Zaman.

“As soon as we asked if he was OK, he just kind of collapsed,” Owens said. “We focused on stabilizing him, calling 911 and talking to him to keep him awake, in case he was concussed.”

Troubleman Ray Delgado, who had planned to meet Owens and Solache at the next job, arrived moments later and helped manage traffic on the narrow, winding road as the crew waited for emergency responders to arrive.

“As a father of four with a son around that same age, you just think, ‘What would I want someone to do if this was my son?’” said Delgado.

Despite tense emotions and adrenaline running high, emergencies shouldn’t be met with panic. It’s a mindset all lineworkers train for, long before they ever face a real‑world crisis — whether they’re restoring power after a storm or encountering the unexpected while heading to a job.

“We coach our guys to take a deep breath,” said Greg Davis, an SCE troubleman of 31 years who also trains incoming troublemen. “It starts in the classroom where we run them through simulations of emergency scenarios; then months of ride-alongs and training in the field. Over time, the repetition builds their confidence to make safe decisions under pressure.”

That commitment to safety, preparedness and public service is honored each year on April 18, National Lineman Appreciation Day, established by Congress in 2013 to recognize the essential role lineworkers play in communities across the country.

Lineman Solache — who has been riding with Owens for the last several weeks as part of his own training — saw the value of their preparation in play.

“Every day, lineworkers are dealing with downed power lines, car‑hit poles and other dangerous conditions,” said Solache. “That night, I got a front row seat to an unfamiliar, high-pressure situation where we had to stay levelheaded while someone’s life was in our hands.”

The crew waited with Zaman until firefighters, law enforcement and paramedics arrived and whisked him away to a local hospital, where he was treated for a concussion, a possible spinal injury, and cuts and bruises. Unable to walk or turn his head, Zaman spent several days in a wheelchair before he gradually regained mobility.

Today, he’s back on his feet, focused on his passion for fixing cars and studying mechanical engineering at the University of California, Riverside.

“The doctors said I got really lucky,” Zaman said. “I just want to say thank you to the Edison guys. Once they found me, they didn’t leave my side. I’ll never forget that.”

To learn more about careers at SCE, visit edisoncareers.com.

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