Harold Paul Parsons rescued Willard D. Hale from burning, Alabaster, Alabama, May 28, 1972. When his small biplane crashed in a wooded area and caught fire, Hale, 60, was knocked unconscious and thrown to a position draped over the edge of the open cockpit as flames rose 15 feet above the ground at the plane’s front end. Parsons, 43, heavy machinery operator, ran to the aircraft and pulled Hale out, sustaining minor burns from flames in the cockpit. As Parsons was dragging Hale away with difficulty because of the muddy ground, an explosive spread of flames engulfed the airplane. Other persons assisted Parsons in moving Hale farther away. Both Parsons and Hale recovered from their burns.
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