Northern Neck lineworkers rescue driver from car crash
March 2026
From left, Craig Loving, Martin Pinon and Mark Evans (photo by Jim Robertson / NNEC)
by Laura Emery, Staff Writer
Daylight was fading as three Northern Neck Electric Cooperative lineworkers headed home in their vehicles after a long shift.
The workday had ended, but the responsibility to serve had not.
Craig Loving, Mark Evans and Martin Pinon found themselves putting one of the founding cooperative principles, Concern for Community, into action. The principle reflects a cooperative responsibility that goes beyond delivering reliable power — it is a commitment to people and to the places they call home.
That day, in Warsaw, Va., a car lay in a ditch and, inside, a woman’s life hung in the balance. Loving witnessed the vehicle veer off the road and land in the ditch after the driver suffered a medical incident. “We just saw someone who needed help, and we did what any one of us would do,” Loving said in an interview with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Without hesitation, the men pulled over to assess the scene. They called 911, administered CPR (NNEC lineworkers maintain CPR certification) and helped emergency medical services personnel remove the driver from the vehicle.
Lineworkers are often referred to as heroes during storms, restoring power to homes and businesses with vigilance and fortitude. But on that evening in early November, they became Judy Laxague’s heroes.
“I am alive because of you,” Laxague wrote in a heartfelt note to the lineworkers that came to her rescue. “[The] world needs more people like you.”
Loving, Evans and Pinon were later commended at a Richmond County Board of Supervisors meeting, where they received the Good Citizens Award and a letter of recognition from the board.
In the letter, Chairman F. Lee Sanders wrote: “Their quick response and ability to begin CPR prior to the arrival of emergency medical services exemplify courage, compassion and preparedness in the face of crisis. The Board of Supervisors is deeply thankful to have NNEC as a part of our community.”
“We’re more than just a provider of electricity here in the Northern Neck, we have a strong commitment to the welfare of our community,” says NNEC President and CEO Richard McLendon. “Our employees show sincere compassion for their neighbors, and I am fortunate to witness it every day.”
The lifesaving actions of the three NNEC lineworkers reflect the values that guide electric cooperatives and the people who power them. When needed, they answered — not because it was required, but because it was the right thing to do.