A local UPS driver, Corey Howe, was presented with the Liberty Mutual Life Saver Award last week at a UPS warehouse in Plattsburgh.

For those who may not remember, Howe, 49 — whose delivery route extends from Plattsburgh to Elizabethtown and Keene Valley — was the first person on the scene of a tanker truck crash on state Route 73 back in September.

The crash could’ve been fatal.

The truck, driven by Gregory M. Breault, rolled over on its side on the stretch of state Route 73 between Round Pond and Chapel Pond. The tanker blocked two lanes of traffic and spilled an estimated 3,500 gallons of asphalt emulsion and 35 gallons of diesel onto the roadway. Howe saw the crash happen. Between his training in the Marines and his work as a member of UPS Plattsburgh’s Safety Committee, he seemed to instinctually know what to do.

New York State Police Lt. Zachary Eppler and UPS driver Corey Howe. (Photo courtesy New York State Police)

Howe rushed into action and helped the driver, who was stuck inside his vehicle, out of the cab of the truck.

“I was able to make it around to the front of the vehicle,” Howe told Enterprise Staff Writer Sydney Emerson after it happened. “I pulled the windshield — what was left of the windshield — down. I had my knife in my pocket and I cut the rubber grommet (that) was basically across where the windshield would’ve laid and kind of, like, in front of (Breault), and I was able to cut that — I believe it was in two pieces — to get the large portion out.”

Soon after the driver was freed, a fire erupted in the cab of the truck. Howe retrieved a fire extinguisher out of his delivery truck and put it out.

This series of events happened quickly, before first responders arrived. New York State Police and Essex County Emergency Services both expressed gratitude to Howe, commending him for the way he leapt into action.

“I did what I would think anybody else would do,” he told the Enterprise. “Some people are different in situations like that. I do have some military training from years ago, and I’m sure that played a factor in things, but I just reacted and assessed the situation and just took control and did what needed to be done until first responders arrived.”

We can think of no one more deserving of this honor than Howe. We’re thankful for his service, not just on Sept. 26, but every day.