James B. Walter, 23, valve assembler, rescued David M. White, Jr., 10, schoolboy, from burning, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 17, 1960. When a can of gasoline upset and exploded near a stove in the workroom of his father’s garage, David was sprayed with burning gasoline. Walter was attracted and ran to the workroom, where gasoline had spread over the floor and burned in intermittent flames as much as three feet high. Walter saw David, surrounded by flames and with his trousers afire, standing in one comer of the room near a door, which was wired shut. Running seven feet through the flames, Walter took hold of David and attempted without success to smother the flames on his clothing by holding David against him. Walter’s trousers then caught fire. Clutching David to him, Walter stepped to the door in flames a foot high. After several attempts, he forced the door open and, still holding David, fell outside. By then his trousers and those of David were in flames to their waists. Walter placed David prone on a walk and lowered himself over the boy in an effort to smother the flames. When this proved to no avail, he removed his jacket in order to wrap it around David. Walter’s brother and David’s father then arrived. The father extinguished the flames on David’s clothing by plunging him into a nearby pond. When rolling on the ground failed to put out the flames on Walter’s trousers, his brother then tore the burning clothing from him. Both David and Walter sustained severe burns which necessitated extensive skin grafting. David was hospitalized for more than six months. Walter was disabled for seven months. 45108-4353
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