Jerry Caines helped to rescue Edith D. Bass from burning, Whiteville, North Carolina, April 9, 1996. Ms. Bass, 55, was trapped in the driver’s seat of her sport utility vehicle after the vehicle left the highway and struck a tree, then caught fire. A motorist, Caines, 38, logger, arrived shortly at the scene, where another man was attempting to remove Ms. Bass through the vehicle’s sunroof, wreckage having precluded access to her through any of its doors. With flames growing inside the vehicle, Caines joined the other man atop its roof for the removal of Ms. Bass through the sunroof opening. Ms. Bass, who was aflame, was then lowered to the ground, where the flames on her body were extinguished. The vehicle was shortly engulfed by flame. Ms. Bass required extensive hospitalization for severe burns and other injuries. Caines recovered from a minor burn to his hand.
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