John Minadeo, 15, schoolboy, died attempting to save an indeterminate number of children from being struck by an automobile, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 7, 1954. Near a school where 1,200 pupils had just been dismissed for the day, a man driving an automobile began descending a street which had a steep downgrade for 2,000 feet to a crowded intersection. The brakes failed to function, and the automobile steadily gained speed. John, a member of the school safety patrol, was stationed at one corner of the intersection and stood with his arms extended horizontally to hold back children behind him, awaiting a hand signal from a policewoman to permit the children to cross the street. As the traffic lights began to change, another vehicle descending the hill came to a stop 12 feet from the intersection. Traveling at very high speed, the runaway automobile veered diagonally in the street narrowly missed the stopped vehicle, and grazed a utility pole, its right wheels mounting the curb. John, who was directly in the path of the advancing automobile, thrust his outstretched arms backward as though to protect the children. John and two girls standing immediately behind him were struck by the automobile, which brushed against three other girls. The vehicle continued along the curb and thence across a main thoroughfare, carrying John and the two girls with it. John and one of the girls were killed almost instantly and dropped free of the automobile. The other girl, who was injured critically and rendered unconscious, fell to the ground as the automobile collided with a pole and stopped. The driver was hospitalized for six weeks. The other girls were treated for minor injuries. 43298-3955
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43298-3955