Kip R. Tarrant rescued Elmer J. Hapken from a runaway vehicle, Georgetown, Connecticut, September 8, 1999. Hapken, 70, lost consciousness while driving an automobile on a highway under construction. The car entered the construction zone and headed toward a piece of heavy equipment parked at the site. Directing traffic at the scene, Tarrant, 42, police officer, saw the car’s errant course, then saw Hapken inside the car, his head slumped over. Tarrant ran to the driver’s side of Hapken’s car, then ran alongside it and tried to open the driver’s door. The door was locked. Tarrant dived headfirst through the open driver’s window. His legs extended outside the still-moving car, Tarrant reached toward the floor and felt for the brake pedal. He applied the pedal by hand, taking the car to a stop at a point just short of the heavy equipment. Hapken and Tarrant were both taken by ambulance to the hospital, where Hapken was detained for treatment. Tarrant suffered a sprained right knee, from which he recovered.
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