Usually “horsing around at work” is discouraged at Consumers Energy. But Pat Petrucci’s experience demonstrates hometown service at its best when he helped an elderly man save three runaway horses.
Petrucci, a customer energy management specialist based in Howell, was performing field checks near Pinckney in Livingston County when three horses ran in front of his truck, with no human in sight. With a very busy road nearby, Petrucci knew there was great potential for a tragedy if the horses weren’t quickly controlled. So when the horses trotted into a nearby fenced lot Petrucci positioned his truck in the driveway in an attempt to close them in; however, the opening was too large and the horses escaped again.
That’s when they ran across well-traveled Pettysville Road, where all three narrowly missed being hit by a vehicle. “The first two horses just cleared the car, but the third literally jumped over the hood, leaving a dent with its back hoof,” Petrucci said. He and another witness ran over to the driver, a woman with a small child in the back seat who was understandably shaken up over the incident. Fortunately, neither were injured and police were contacted via 9-1-1.
While waiting for police to arrive, Petrucci was approached by the resident who owned the fenced property where he originally attempted to secure the horses. She was concerned about the horses’ safety and that of drivers. Together they tracked the horses and found them standing at the top of a hill, about a half-mile away.
Petrucci drove to the area and found an elderly man leaning heavily on a cane trying to coax his horses back into their pasture. Petrucci quickly offered to help and was able to entice the horses into the pasture using a bucket of grain. He made sure the gate was securely latched as the three equines calmly munched away as if the escape never happened.
Petrucci said that he took action that day in part because of an incident he had experienced before becoming a Consumers Energy employee. He shared that the brakes once failed on his truck, and he had been fortunate that several people took it upon themselves to stop and help him out of a dangerous situation. “I believe in returning the favor when you can, and was happy to help in any way I could,” he said.
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