ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Five North Carolina Department of Transportation employees and a state trooper received the Governor’s Award for Excellence for their lifesaving actions on Interstate 40 during Tropical Storm Helene.
The award, the highest honor a state employee can receive, recognizes exceptional service beyond regular duties.
“These employees used their training and followed exactly what their natural instincts instructed them to do — help those around them by any means possible,” NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson said in a news release. “Their courageous actions in a chaotic moment prevented what could have been a catastrophe.”
The honorees, recognized at a Nov. 19 ceremony at the State Archives in Raleigh, are:
- Scottie Coggins, Division 14 Assistant Roadside Environmental Engineer
- David Hall, Division 14 Roadside Environmental Transportation Supervisor
- Sgt. Joe Henderson, State Highway Patrol
- Garett McFalls, Western North Carolina Incident Management Assistance Patrol (IMAP) Senior Responder
- Austin Phillips, Division 14 Roadside Environmental Engineer
- Christopher Strader, Western North Carolina IMAP Senior Responder
A video of their actions was shown during the ceremony.
On Sept. 28, 2024, heavy rains from Tropical Storm Helene caused the Pigeon River to swell, eroding sections of eastbound I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge. Chunks of embankment, shoulder and asphalt collapsed into the river, leaving motorists stranded as portions of the highway disappeared.
McFalls, Strader and Henderson quickly developed a plan to redirect traffic. They guided passenger vehicles through a median barrier while Coggins, Hall and Phillips opened a larger section to allow tractor-trailers to cross to the safer westbound lanes. Their efforts helped all motorists exit the gorge safely.
“They went above and beyond to serve in the line of duty, to protect the public, to act as heroes,” Chris Lee, NCDOT deputy division engineer for Highway Division 14, said in the news release. “They saved the day, and we’re so proud of them.”
The employees’ actions made statewide news last November, though Strader said at the time that they were simply doing their jobs.
