James W. Potter helped to rescue Robert M. Wilday from burning, Oneonta, New York, August 2, 1987. Wilday, 58, was caught in the wreckage of the cab of a tractor-trailer following a highway accident. One of the truck’s fuel tanks ruptured and caught fire, and flames entered the cab, burning Wilday. Potter, 31, truck farmer who witnessed the accident, ran to the scene, as did another man. They climbed atop the trailer to a point near the driver’s door of the cab. Wilday extended his arms through the open window, and Potter grasped them and pulled, partially removing him. When a side mirror blocked Wilday’s exit, the other man kicked it away, then helped Potter pull Wilday the remaining distance out. The men jumped to the ground, then ran from the tractor, which was engulfed by flames within moments. Wilday was treated for first-, second-, and third-degree burns; he recovered. Potter received minor burns to his face, and he too recovered.
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