Quick Action by Local 6132 Member Saves Austin Man

Navor Hernandez, a member of CWA Local 6132, was honored by AT&T for his bravery and quick action that saved a man from a burning van. Hernandez calls himself a "plain old telephone man" and said "the day of the accident changed many lives, including my own."

Hernandez was on the job as an AT&T communications technician in Austin when he saw an auto accident in his rear view mirror. While dialing 911, he ran to the scene to help the victims who were trapped in the burning van that had turned upside down.

As he pulled 18-year old Mason Hagen to safety through a window, their clothing caught fire and the van continued to burn. Another bystander helped douse their burning clothes with a fire extinguisher. Mason, badly burned, was airlifted to an Austin hospital. Unfortunately, Mason's brother Marshall, 20, perished in the fire, and Hernandez made the call to the boys' family to let them know of the tragic accident.   

For his courage and heroism, Hernandez became the first employee in Texas to receive the Gold Vail Award, the industry's highest honor, named for the first AT&T president.

CWA Local 6132 and President Ray Flores presented Hernandez with a plaque honoring "his heroic deeds performed in the service of his community."

The American Red Cross also named Hernandez its 2007 Adult Good Samaritan and presented him the Central Texas Heroes Award.