Gavin Francis rescsued Robert J. and Linda A. Gooding from burning, Halton Hills, Ontario, September 21, 1994. Gooding, 49, and his wife, 45, were trapped inside the burning cab of a tractor-trailer following a highway accident. Francis, 34, an off-duty police officer, drove upon the scene and stopped, then went to the burning truck after seeing Gooding inside. Flames were concentrated on the passenger side of the tractor, where one of the rig’s two fuel tanks had ruptured; flames also spread to the front and undercarriage of the vehicle, threatening the other fuel tank. Francis mounted a concrete highway barrier against the driver’s side of the tractor and broke the driver’s window. He reached in and seized Mrs. Gooding, then pulled her out of the cab and lowered her to another man who had arrived. Francis reached into the truck again and pulled on Gooding, whose foot was caught in the wreckage. With some difficulty, Francis succeeded in pulling Gooding out of the truck. He lowered Gooding to the other man, then left the immediate scene with them moments before the tractor was engulfed in flame. Mrs. Gooding required hospitalization for serious burns, and her husband was treated for minor injury. Francis sustained back strain from which he recovered.
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69184-7956