Headline News
Washington, Pa. Teamsters Save A Life
Last summer, eight members of Teamsters Local 585 working for the City of Washington, Pa. went above and beyond the call of duty when they participated in a rescue of a resident, Megan Angelone, that was trapped inside her dilapidated apartment building.
“She was very calm and speaking very clearly, I can’t believe she is alive,” Washington County Public Safety Director Jeff Yates said at the time of her rescue to CBS News.
The building, which was allegedly in disrepair due to neglect by its owner, collapsed at 8:30am on July 12. Teamsters were immediately on the scene. Local 585 member John Alberta stepped in to direct traffic around the site, and the rest of the public works department spent the entire day assisting the City of Washington’s police, fire, and rescue services (most of whom are also union members) to free the woman from the rubble. The undertaking was so large that additional fire and rescue personnel were sent in from Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.
At 6:45pm, Angelone was finally freed from the structure and rushed to the nearest hospital. Local 585 Secretary-Treasurer Jon Bedillion remembers watching the scene unfold on the local news.
“My wife turned to me and noticed absolute awe on my face,” Bedillion said. “Firefighters, police, rescue personnel, and our own Washington City Street Department saved a life that July day, risking their own in the process. They worked a 13-hour plus day, dealt with unbearable heat and humidity, and stopped at nothing to save a life. They did this because it is what they do. When needed and called upon, they are there until they get the job done.”
The Washington, Pa. Public Works Department members that participated in the rescue are: Local 585 Trustee Rodney Barry, John Alberta, Jesse Bova, Ronald Earley, David Huey, James Moore, Andre Taylor, and Randy Thomas.