This morning Martin Barraza was on the way to fulfill a service request from a SDG&E customer when he happened upon a flipped-over car in the area of Plaza Boulevard and 8th Street in National City.

Martin quickly sprang into action to help. He turned on his truck’s hazard lights and ran to scene of the accident. Knowing there were people inside the car, he yelled out to passersby to lend a hand. Two good Samaritans joined Martin to yank open the doors of the car, which were stuck. They discovered an elderly couple inside. While they were working to free the couple, the car started smoking.

Martin immediately ran back to his truck and grabbed the fire extinguisher. All of our customer service field employees carry fire extinguishers in their work vehicles and receive extensive safety training. After the smoke was extinguished, the couple was safely pulled out of the car. The Good Samaritans assisted the couple to the sidewalk until the fire truck and ambulance arrived.

Russ White, field operations manager, said Martin has always been a conscientious employee who goes above and beyond to serve customers. “He’s been a terrific employee all of these years. I am not surprised he would go the extra mile for anybody who needs help,” White said.

Jorge Cordova, Martin’s supervisor, also rushed out to the scene to help after hearing from Martin about the accident. When he got there, the ambulance was there along with police and fire personnel. The elderly couple was in good hands.

Martin has been with SDG&E for 35 years and works out of our Metro District operations facility, which is located on the outskirts of Downtown San Diego. As a meter services technician, he handles a variety of customer service requests, including turning on and off gas and electric meters for customers who are moving in and out of residences, conducting safety checks on gas appliances, and performing gas meter maintenance.

Catch Martin On TV

A Fox 5 freelance videographer caught the rescue on camera. Martin was interviewed today by Fox 5 about his good deed. See the Fox 5 story here.