Mitchell E. Davis saved Andy R. and Kristine R. Smith from burning, Greenville, South Carolina, April 4, 1992. Smith, 32, and his daughter, Kristine, 4, were trapped inside an automobile after it left the roadway, crashed into a tree, and caught fire. Davis, 31, factory supervisor who lived nearby, heard the accident and went to the scene, where he attempted to put out the flames with an extinguisher. Davis then partially removed Smith through the driver’s door, but Smith’s feet were caught in the wreckage. As he struggled to free Smith, he saw Kristine for the first time, in the back seat area of the car. Davis leaned inside the car again, pulled Kristine out, and took her to safety. While flames continued to spread on the undercarriage and exterior of the car, Davis again leaned inside and, after several attempts, pulled Smith free of the wreckage, then dragged him to safety. Davis returned to the car, but worsening conditions thwarted the removal of its two other occupants, and the car was shortly engulfed by flame. Smith and Kristine required hospitalization for treatment of injuries received in the accident.
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