* Mississippi - Trucker hailed as Hero for assisting crash victims
Gulfport, Mississippi,USA -Video from YouTibe, by viralhog.com -Aug 17, 2014: -- Truck driver David Fredericksen and his co-driver, Walter Letterman, were making their weekly run from Lake Wales, Florida, to California, on Aug. 11 when a fiery accident involving an automobile and an 18-wheeler unfolded in front of them... A car t-bones a semi truck on I10 near Biloxi, Mississippi. The car struck the fuel tank of the semi causing a large fire ball. The doors of the car were jammed shut and the driver suffering a broken leg could not exit the vehicle... (Fredericksen's son comment:) "Luckily my father had a fire extinguisher on hand to fight back the flames and give enough time to pull the driver and her 1 year old granddaughter out of the flaming vehicle. Once the passengers are free from the vehicle the flames rapidly grow in strength consuming the vehicle... Thankfully my father had the presence of mind, bravery, and forethought of carrying a fire extinguisher, to be the first person on scene to risk his own life in order to possibly save another and to inspire others and lead them into taking action. Everyone involved in the rescue effort is a hero in my books... The police and fire department responded within minutes of the accident and also deserve praise... Remember to treat truck drivers well as they are often the first responders in automobile accidents... Everyone involved was okay, the driver of the vehicle suffered a broken leg and all others had only minor injuries... My father said he was surprised he was the first one there while everyone else stayed in their vehicles. It takes a huge amount of bravery to be the first to lend a hand. My guess is most people were hesitant to help because they figured the occupants could not have survived... When he went to pull the child out of the car the smoke made it very difficult for him to breathe and his only thought was getting the child out of the vehicle" ... In fact, they escaped relatively unharmed, according to Gulfport police, as did the driver of the 18-wheeler. Fredericksen, 45 and a father of four, first pulled open the passenger side door of the automobile, but then spotted the child in the back seat, and tended to her first...
* New Jersey - Troopers describe rescue of trucker from creek after tractor-trailer crashes in Ridgefield
(Photo by Tariq Zehawi: Emergency crews work the scene of a tractor trailer accident on the NJ Turnpike in Ridgefield)
Ridgefield,Bergen,USA -The North Jersey, by Stefanie Dazio -Aug 20, 2014: -- Three state troopers jumped into Overpeck Creek fully clothed to save a tractor-trailer driver’s life after his truck crashed on the New Jersey Turnpike on Tuesday morning... The call came just after 5:30 a.m., and the troopers found part of the tractor-trailer, including the cab, in flames and Lawrence Scherf, 66, of Vails Gate, N.Y. treading water on his back in the creek near Route 80. The trailer was dangling from an overpass near milepost 117, while the burned-out cab sat in the creek... While police don’t know whether the driver was ejected from the cab or got out on his own, his being out of the rig made the rescue possible... State troopers, Mohamed Hussein, threw in a life preserver, and the troopers dropped their leather utility belts and jumped into water up to their necks... Despite water rescue training in the academy, there’s nothing to prepare troopers for situations like these, their superiors said... “Every day these guys go out, it’s a challenge,” acting Lt. Michael Dulin said...Labels: polices heroes, truckers hero
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