Robert M. Pedersen helped to save Brad L. Barnes, Tammy Gugyelka, Todd C. Goldade, and Carmen C. Heisler from burning, Empress, Alberta, November 12, 1993. Brad, 4, and his sister Carmen, 3, along with Ms. Gugyelka, 25, were trapped in a car driven by Goldade, 25, that caught fire after a highway accident. Another motorist, Pedersen, 34, video distributor, stopped at the scene and ran to the driver’s side of the car. He kicked in the rear window on that side, then leaned into the car and pulled Brad out. Pedersen leaned into the car again and attempted to remove Carmen, but her feet were trapped between the seats. Ms. Gugyelka moved to the back seat after flames entered the front interior of the car, and Pedersen pulled her through the broken window. Another man opened the driver’s door with a crowbar, freeing Goldade. With flames increasing in the car’s interior, Pedersen stepped through the driver’s door and grasped Carmen while the other man leaned through the broken window and also grasped her. They freed her and removed her from the car just moments before it was engulfed in flame, making impossible any attempt to remove another passenger, who died. The four rescued victims required hospitalization for their injuries. Pedersen sustained smoke inhalation; he recovered.
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