Fred A. Bryant rescued Daniel Oh from burning, Red Oak, Texas, May 18, 2003. Daniel, 2, was a passenger in a car that caught fire in a collision with a tractor-trailer on an interstate highway. Demolished, its front end missing, the car came to rest alongside the tractor-trailer, which also caught fire. Motorists stopping at the scene included Bryant, 58, retired electronics technician. Bryant approached the car and, on hearing a child crying there, entered through the broken windshield, despite flames inside the vehicle. Extending all but his feet into the car, Bryant found Daniel, who was restrained in his safety seat, which was lodged in the back-seat area. Unable to free Daniel because of a tightly secured strap, Bryant exited the car and obtained a knife from a bystander. Re-entering, he cut the strap, freeing Daniel, and removed him from the car, then carried him to safety. The car was shortly engulfed by flames. Daniel required hospitalization for treatment of fractures and burns, and he recovered. His parents and grandmother, the other occupants of the vehicle, did not survive the accident. Bryant sustained only scrapes, from which he recovered.
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