bobdina
08-22-2009, 11:31 AM
Guardsmen rescue man trapped in burning truck
Staff report
Posted : Saturday Aug 22, 2009 8:17:47 EDT
Two Tennessee National Guard soldiers are being credited with saving the life of a man who was trapped in his overturned, burning truck, according to a Friday press release.
On Aug. 4, Sgt. Keith Lewis and Pvt. Anthony Billings, who are on temporary duty with the Guard recruiting office in Covington, Tenn., were on their way to pick up a potential recruit when they saw smoke in the distance. When Lewis and Billings got closer, they saw a 2003 Ford Ranger pickup with smoke coming out the front. Leonard Darby, of Covington, was traveling south on State Route 54 when his truck blew its right front tire, ran off the road, struck a tree, flipped over and caught fire.
The soldiers were first on the scene, and if they hadn’t been there the man would have died in the fire, State Trooper Billy Jackson told the Guard. As Lewis and Billings approached the truck, they heard screaming. “Someone help me. Get me out!” the voice said, according to Lewis, who said he could see a man pinned inside.
The soldiers tried to open the truck’s doors but they were jammed tight. A passerby soon came running up with a fire extinguisher, and Lewis broke the driver’s window and cut away the seat belt as Billings continued to try to open the passenger door.
“Private Billings kept trying to get him out and I was trying to put out the flames,” said Lewis, who has been in the Guard almost four years. “I used up that first extinguisher, then about six or seven more that people kept bringing me. Every time I thought the fire was out it flared up again, and his legs were pinned. We knew we had to either put out the fire or get him out ... or he was going to die right there.”
After the last extinguisher was used, the flames continued to spread and the trapped driver began to scream that his legs were burning. Billings, who recently completed basic training, then wedged himself in through the sliding window in the rear of the truck’s cab to try to free the trapped man. With the help of several civilians, the soldiers were finally able to pull Darby from the truck.
“His head was split open so I bandaged him and we just kept him calm,” Billings said.
Authorities arrived shortly afterward and Darby was flown to a hospital in Memphis.
Lewis and Billings downplayed their role in saving Darby’s life. “We were blessed that we were in the right place at the right time,” Lewis said.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/army_rescue_082209w/
Staff report
Posted : Saturday Aug 22, 2009 8:17:47 EDT
Two Tennessee National Guard soldiers are being credited with saving the life of a man who was trapped in his overturned, burning truck, according to a Friday press release.
On Aug. 4, Sgt. Keith Lewis and Pvt. Anthony Billings, who are on temporary duty with the Guard recruiting office in Covington, Tenn., were on their way to pick up a potential recruit when they saw smoke in the distance. When Lewis and Billings got closer, they saw a 2003 Ford Ranger pickup with smoke coming out the front. Leonard Darby, of Covington, was traveling south on State Route 54 when his truck blew its right front tire, ran off the road, struck a tree, flipped over and caught fire.
The soldiers were first on the scene, and if they hadn’t been there the man would have died in the fire, State Trooper Billy Jackson told the Guard. As Lewis and Billings approached the truck, they heard screaming. “Someone help me. Get me out!” the voice said, according to Lewis, who said he could see a man pinned inside.
The soldiers tried to open the truck’s doors but they were jammed tight. A passerby soon came running up with a fire extinguisher, and Lewis broke the driver’s window and cut away the seat belt as Billings continued to try to open the passenger door.
“Private Billings kept trying to get him out and I was trying to put out the flames,” said Lewis, who has been in the Guard almost four years. “I used up that first extinguisher, then about six or seven more that people kept bringing me. Every time I thought the fire was out it flared up again, and his legs were pinned. We knew we had to either put out the fire or get him out ... or he was going to die right there.”
After the last extinguisher was used, the flames continued to spread and the trapped driver began to scream that his legs were burning. Billings, who recently completed basic training, then wedged himself in through the sliding window in the rear of the truck’s cab to try to free the trapped man. With the help of several civilians, the soldiers were finally able to pull Darby from the truck.
“His head was split open so I bandaged him and we just kept him calm,” Billings said.
Authorities arrived shortly afterward and Darby was flown to a hospital in Memphis.
Lewis and Billings downplayed their role in saving Darby’s life. “We were blessed that we were in the right place at the right time,” Lewis said.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/army_rescue_082209w/