Samuel A. Posante

Samuel A. Posante rescued Mildred Johnson, Charles Wilmore, and Herman Malcom from burning, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1971. At night when a station wagon in which they were riding stalled on a highway and then was struck by a tractor-trailer, Mrs. Johnson, Wilmore, and Malcom were severely injured and knocked unconscious. The other passengers escaped from the automobile, on which flames had broken out at the rear. Posante, 53, truckdriver, ran to the vehicle and leaned into it as flames spread on the floor. He removed Mrs. Johnson and then Wilmore. After beating out flames on Wilmore’s clothing, Posante tried to pull Malcom out of the automobile but was forced back by heat from the increasing flames. While Posante was making another attempt to remove Malcom, whose feet were caught, another truckdriver arrived and opened the opposite door. He freed the feet of Malcom, who then was pulled from the automobile by Posante. Within minutes thereafter, fire had completely filled the vehicle. Mrs. Johnson and Wilmore were dead on arrival at the hospital, but Malcom recovered.