Shannon L. Williams rescued Christopher and Lauren Malhoit from burning, Wauseon, Ohio, May 3, 1996. Malhoit, 42, was the pilot of a single-engine airplane in which his daughter Lauren, 14, was the passenger. While attempting to land at an airport, the plane crashed nose first and came to rest upside down just off the runway. Its engine caught fire, and flames began to spread. Approaching in another aircraft, Williams, 28, airport manager, saw the crash and, after landing, ran to the scene. As Lauren was trapped by wreckage, Williams lifted on the plane to free her; he then grasped her by the arm, pulled her through the opened door, and dragged her away. With flames by then spreading to the top of the wreckage, Williams returned for Malhoit. He broke out a side window and extended his upper body through the window opening, then freed Malhoit and removed him from the plane. As Williams dragged Malhoit away, an explosion in the plane engulfed it with flames. Malhoit and his daughter required hospitalization for treatment of burns and other injuries. Williams sustained smoke inhalation and cuts to his hands; he recovered.
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