The Connection

Chris Grose was heading back home to Burke with his two children, Holly, 15, and Jameson, 3, after Holly’s soccer team had just won their regional tournament and were now on track to go to nationals.

“The rains were heavy [that day] but had lightened up,” Grose said. “I was picking up speed a little bit but the rains had turned back on very heavy, very quickly. As I was slowing down I was coming over the rise of a hill and as I was going down I hydroplaned and that caused me to lose control of the car.”

It was a Monday afternoon at around 2:30 p.m. on June 19 when Grose’s car hydroplaned and got totaled. Thankfully, all passengers in the vehicle were able to get out safely with minor scratches and bruises.

“The whole back end was smushed and the top was smushed,” Grose said. “We ran into the embankment that was on the left side and we slipped. From where we were sitting the roof was intact and so it was three of us in the car and we landed upright. My door was the only door that would open [but] once I figured out everyone was okay, that wasn’t so bad.”

It was Dominion Energy crew that first saw the crash, stepped in, helped to direct traffic and helped Grose’s family before a state trooper arrived at the scene.

Five Dominion Energy crewmembers -- Ricky Miller, Stacey Groah, Troy Blankenship, John Angotti and Daniel Jordan -- saw the totaled car sticking out into the left lane and immediately assisted the family by ensuring they were safe and waving to oncoming cars to slow down.

“I’ve been in some downpours and I don’t think I’ve ever been that wet,” said Miller in an email sent to the Connection. “I’m glad that they’re not injured and maybe we did help stop another vehicle from crashing into them.”

Grose admired the selflessness of the Dominion Energy crew and how speedily they responded upon seeing Grose and his family.

“They took it upon themselves to ensure that traffic did not flow in the left lane because it was probably about 15 minutes before the state trooper arrived,” Grose said. “Had they not been there, coming over that hill, people who would’ve come over that hill - even if they were going a reasonable speed - with the wet and everything, they surely would’ve hit us again.”

The Dominion Energy crew also helped to retrieve some items that flew onto the road including Grose’s family stroller and his daughter Holly’s cell phone.

Jacquline Grose took to Facebook and wrote a post on the Dominion Energy Virginia page thanking them.

“It felt really nice when I saw that, but I don’t feel that we did anything different than any other private citizen or Dominion Energy employee would have done,” said Miller. “Some of our training just kicked in, like trying to help them in the minivan and the traffic control.”

Grose personally believes the fact no one was hurt and that crewmembers stepped in to help is a miraculous thing which happened.

“Everybody, when they hear I was in an accident, they’re like ‘Okay. Are you okay?’” Grose said. “But then when they see the pictures, a lot of people are almost tearful about ‘Wow, that is miraculous.’”

“I do just want to ensure that thanks go to the Dominion Power guys,” Grose said. “I really think that having survived the crash, we were still in great danger from potential oncoming traffic. They, for whatever reason, I think it was a God-thing, but they had a convoy moving and I don’t know where exactly it was moving to or from, but they happened to be behind us and immediately reached out. These guys taking that initiative is really a great thing for us.”