PowerPathway Grad Puts Safety Training to Work for Injured Motorcyclist

When Katie Mengali graduated two months ago from PG&E’s PowerPathway Entry to Vegetation Management training program, she had two objectives.

One was to “make our community safe.” The second was knowing that she was “making a difference in the world.”

Little did Mengali know that she would be achieving these goals in ways even beyond her role as a vegetation management inspector.

One recent afternoon, Mengali was driving back to her office in Santa Rosa after investigating the vegetation growth around Lake Sonoma. She drove downhill around a corner on Rockpile Road when she had to hit her brakes and swerve to the side of the road to avoid running over an injured man lying in the middle of this two-lane road. He had lost control of his Harley Davidson motorcycle because he was avoiding a deer. 

Using the safety skills she learned during four weeks of PowerPathway training and with the help of the PG&E dispatcher, Mengali called 911, backed up her truck at an angle, turned on the emergency flashers and placed safety cones around the accident.

“The man was conscious,” said Mengali. “He was in shock and yelling that he wanted to take his helmet off. I told him numerous times to calm down because I was afraid he had a broken neck.”

The motorcyclist eventually removed his helmet and relaxed a bit. Katie went to her truck to get her vest to act as a pillow for the man’s head and neck. A few minutes later, a fireman from unincorporated Annapolis drove by in his SUV and stopped to help. They were soon joined by park rangers from a nearby campground who directed traffic.

Mengali and the fireman moved the motorcyclist closer to the edge of the road. The fireman grabbed a tourniquet in Mengali’s emergency kit and applied it to the motorcyclist’s leg to stop the bleeding.

A cancer survivor’s next battle

As they were waiting, Mengali and the fireman learned the injured motorcyclist was 56 years old and just beat cancer. “He said surviving this accident was his next challenge,” said Mengali.

His sister later told Mengali that he shattered his ankle and his leg in multiple areas. He also needed three surgeries to repair the damage.

After the ambulance took the injured man to the hospital, Mengali spoke to the California Highway Patrol about what she saw. The officer who took the report said to Mengali, “Thank you for stopping to help. I’m glad to hear PG&E has you prepared.”

Safety is an integral part of PowerPathway training. Time is spent on fundamentals of defensive driving, motor vehicle laws, first aid, being AED certified and CPR.

“We’re pleased to learn how our emergency preparedness training helped to play a positive role in this emergency response,” said Rick Murray, a PowerPathway safety instructor. “We acknowledge the bravery and appropriate life saving actions demonstrated by Katie. We encourage everyone to participate in a first aid, CPR and AED training class to help better respond during an emergency.”

“I received a lot of training from PG&E that prepared me for this situation,” said Mengali. “I grew up between Healdsburg and Geyserville. My community is extremely important to me. It’s important for me to give back and be part of the community I work and live in.”