Juan A. Diaz, Jr., saved Katerina Lazaridis from electrocution, Hauppauge, New York, May 11, 1995. During a highway accident at night, Ms. Lazaridis, 24, was thrown from the automobile she had been driving, and she landed on the pavement. The car had struck a wooden utility pole, the top of which broke off and fell to the pavement, landing over her. Both high-voltage and secondary electric lines fell with the pole, the high-voltage lines remaining energized. Downed lines arced at the pole, and flames broke out there. Diaz, 33, a county police officer who was on duty a block away, immediately responded to the scene. He approached Ms. Lazaridis, who was calling for help. Diaz went to the pavement, which was wet from rain, and reached among the lines, some of which were only inches away. He grasped Ms. Lazaridis by her attire, pulled her from underneath the pole and lines, then carried her to safety. Ms. Lazaridis was hospitalized for treatment of injuries sustained during the accident, and she recovered.
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