Perneice L. White

Perneice L. White rescued Wayne P. Crews from burning, Gretna, Virginia, March 13, 2018. Crews, 58, was trapped inside a burning pickup truck that had left a rural road at night and crashed into a stand of trees. White, 49, emergency medical technician, was driving home from work and came upon the scene. Flame extended 5 feet above the hood of the truck, and White heard Crews shout for help. White ran to the truck’s driver’s door, saw Crews still in the driver’s seat, and extended her hands and arms through the open window. She grasped Crews’s arm, and he held onto her as she pulled on him. White braced her foot against a log on the ground and pulled on Crews as he pushed with his legs. Once he was halfway through the window opening, White grasped the back of his jeans and shirt and removed him fully from the truck, and Crews dropped to the ground. White dragged Crews away from the truck and put out flame on his legs. Flame quickly spread to the truck’s interior. Crews sustained serious burns to his legs, along with other injuries, and died three days later.

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