On June 1, 2023, a member of the United Performance Metals team performed a truly inspiring act of bravery. D’Anta Hudson, an Operations Associate who will celebrate 1 year at UPM in October, saved his neighbor’s life when their house unexpectedly exploded.
It was a quiet day and Hudson was home taking care of his granddaughter. His wife, a nurse, was scheduled to be in meetings all day, so he decided to take the day off, spend some time with his granddaughter, and enjoy the first day of June. Suddenly, Hudson heard an explosion from outside of his home and instantly ran out of his house to see what had happened.
When Hudson ran outside, he couldn’t believe his eyes. His neighbor’s home had seemingly exploded. Later, he would find out that a gas leak had caused his neighbor’s house to spontaneously burst, but in that moment, Hudson had no time to even think about what was going on. He heard children screaming from inside the home and sprang into action.
From his vantage point, Hudson could see that one of the doors of the house was jammed and that the people trapped in the home were stuck. “I ran out of my house to see what was going on and saw my neighbors trapped. I could see the door was jammed, trapping them inside, and didn’t even think, I just ran over.”
As soon as Hudson arrived at the scene of the explosion, he could hear screaming, and then saw two children and their great-grandmother in the house, trying desperately to get out and crying for help. He ripped the door off its hinges and was able to reach the people inside. He recalled “throwing the kids out and taking their great-grandmother’s arm over his shoulder and getting out as quick as possible.”
“When I got over there, I tried to assess the situation and see how I could get them out. It all happened very fast, and I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time,” D’Anta said. “I knew I had to get the kids out of there, especially since we didn’t know if the first explosion was going to be the only one. Sure enough, shortly after I got them out, the second explosion happened, and it just took the rest of the house out.”
While he has been hailed as a hero and a true man of action, Hudson does not wish to be branded as one. “You don’t have to be a superhero to do the right thing and know that you must act in times like that. It’s all about just looking after your fellow man, simple as that.” Hudson credits the way he was raised as being the inspiration for his nature of being willing to help those in need. “I was always taught that you need to look out for your neighbor, to be mindful and think about the person next to you. I had the courage to run over there because of that value I hold.”
Hudson only wishes that other people can embrace this value and adopt it into their daily lives. “Looking out for each other is important, and that’s one of the things I love about UPM. They treat their employees great and make sure that we feel appreciated, which is what it’s all about”.
D’Anta has remained humble throughout his experience, shying away from media attention and the notion that he is a hero. While he might not believe he is a hero, the UPM team certainly is lucky to have a person like D’Anta Hudson on our team, and ONI is fortunate to have him as part of the family.
Posted June 22, 2023
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