David H. Bolt helped to save Clare D. Boyd from an impending explosion, Portland, Oregon, May 29, 1963. When his tank truck carrying 6,200 gallons of gasoline overturned on the highway, Boyd, 26, truck driver, was injured and then severely burned by flames which broke out on the tank and filled the cab. He climbed out and crawled 12 feet from the truck. Boyd rolled on the pavement and put out the flames on his clothing but then was unable to move farther away as flames spreading over the vehicle rose 30 feet into the air. Bolt, 25, metal burner, Mahlon Walter Miller, and his brother Dwight A. were attracted. They climbed a steep slope to the highway and saw Boyd, his attire smoldering, attempting without success to crawl farther away from the truck. While others remained at a safe distance from the truck, Bolt and the Miller brothers ran 75 feet to Boyd, who was within five feet of gasoline burning on the highway. As Bolt and the Millers lifted Boyd from the pavement and carried him 100 feet farther away, a tire blew out on the truck. All gasoline was consumed before firemen extinguished the flames. Boyd lost a leg as a result of his burns and will require extensive plastic surgery.
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