Frank Shane Ward rescued Judy W. Jett, Sylvia L. Highers, and Barbara J. Fail from burning, Hydro, Oklahoma, July 11, 2010. Jett, 61; Sylvia, 12; and Fail, 48, were occupants of a pickup truck that, in an interstate highway accident, left the roadway and, catching fire, rolled down an embankment and came to rest upside down. Flames spread alongside the passenger side of the vehicle and issued from its exposed underside, and they entered the passenger compartment. Jett, who had been driving, and Fail removed their safety belts but with Sylvia were trapped in the wreckage. Also traveling on the highway, Ward, 35, business operator, witnessed the accident. He immediately drove off the roadway, left his vehicle, and ran down to the burning pickup. Seeing that Jett had extended an arm through the compressed window of the driver’s door, Ward reached into the truck, grasped her, and then pulled her from the vehicle. Despite growing flames, Ward reached into the vehicle again, grasped Sylvia by the arms, and pulled her out. Fail, who had been in the passenger seat, reached the window, and Ward extended his arms inside a third time and grasped her. Seconds after pulling her out of the pickup, flames grew quickly to engulf it. Jett, Sylvia, and Fail all required hospitalization for treatment of their burns, up to third-degree, and other injuries.
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