James Allen Shipp helped to rescue William S. Hooper from burning, Greer, South Carolina, November 3, 2001. Hooper, 45, was unconscious in the seat of a burning pickup truck after a head-on collision with another vehicle before sunrise. Driving nearby, Shipp, 39, computer programmer, heard the accident and responded to the scene. After calling for help, he went to the passenger side of the truck and, with the man who had been Hooper’s passenger, extended his upper body into the cab and worked to free Hooper. As Hooper’s legs were stuck under the dashboard, which was aflame, Shipp and the other man struggled to free him. After considerable effort, they succeeded in extracting Hooper, then they carried him away from the truck as flames consumed the cab. Hooper was hospitalized for treatment of his injuries, which included second- and third-degree burns, and he died of his injuries the next day. Shipp suffered minor smoke inhalation but otherwise was not injured.
75709 – 8659
75709-8659