James J. Washington, Jr., 29, police patrolman, saved Leslie D. Graves, 22, truck driver, from burning, San Diego, California, March 13, 1956. When a concrete-mixing truck collided with a coffee truck driven by Graves, fuel tanks burst on both trucks and gasoline flowed from the wreckage onto spilled coffee. The gasoline immediately burst into flames, which enveloped the crushed cab of the concrete truck with its driver pinned inside. As flames issued upward through the floor-boards in his cab, Graves leaned through the open door and struggled to free his foot, which was wedged beneath the clutch pedal by a displaced floor-board. After a man had tried to aid Graves but was prevented from doing so because of the intense heat, Washington and another patrolman arrived in a patrol car. While Washington radioed for assistance, the other patrolman attempted to pull Graves from the cab but was driven back by steadily increasing flames. Without delaying to remove his revolver or cartridge-belt, Washington ran to Graves between flames six to eight feet high and tried to pull him from the cab. Unable to do so, Washington stepped onto the running-board of the burning truck and jerked violently on the jacket of Graves with both hands. Graves’ foot was pulled from his shoe and Washington then dragged him to a nearby lawn. A minute later, while Washington was smothering flames on the clothing of Graves, flames then about 15 feet high spread rapidly and completely enveloped the coffee truck’s cab. The driver of the concrete truck was burned to death. Graves sustained extensive burns and was hospitalized for three months but recovered. Washington suffered burns on both hands, which healed within three days. 43814-4085
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43814-4085