John Miner

John Miner saved Ella Rae L. Sorensen-Wilkens and Emric C. Wilkens from burning, Long Island, Kansas, November 4, 2020. Ella, 4, and Emric, 2, were rear-seat passengers of a pickup truck that was parked along a rural highway when a tractor trailer struck a nearby police vehicle and trailer, and caused the rig’s fuel tank to rupture and release diesel fuel onto the pickup. Flames shortly erupted on the passenger side of the pickup truck. Miner, 39, sheriff’s deputy, who was already at the scene, was informed that there were children in the rear of the burning pickup. Miner quickly ran to the pickup’s passenger side and opened the rear door. Seeing Ella harnessed into a booster seat, Miner extended his head and arms inside, unlatched Ella’s harness and lifted her from the seat and out of the car to safety. Ella’s father took her from Miner. Miner then ran back to the vehicle and extended most of his body inside the burning pickup to reach Emric, who was secured by a harness in his booster seat. Miner attempted unsuccessfully to unlatch the harness, then used a pocketknife to cut the harness and free Emric. Miner grasped Emric under his arms, lifted him from the seat, and carried him away as flames spreading from the truck’s undercarriage came into contact with Miner’s leg and set his pant leg on fire. Miner dropped Emric to the ground several feet away from the truck, and Emric’s father carried him farther away to safety. Ella and Emric were not injured. Miner suffered second- and third-degree burns to his leg that required skin-grafting surgery. He was unable to return to work for two months, but ultimately fully recovered.