Stephen Ray Smith rescued William E. Carroll from burning, Granite City, Illinois, May 23, 1973. Carroll, 51, was working from a ladder and boom attached to a service truck when he accidentally made brief contact with a nearby high-voltage line. The electric shock paralyzed Carroll who, his clothing afire, lay on the sloping ladder, from which a metal weight-ball hung within inches of the power line. Smith, 18, high-school student, was the first to notice Carroll’s plight. He climbed the ladder to Carroll’s position and patted out the flames on him. Others who had arrived shouted warnings to Smith about the electric line. Lest further movement cause contact with the electricity, Smith remained face to face with Carroll until other help arrived and the power was shut off. Carroll was removed from the ladder and hospitalized for burns. He recovered.
53647 – 6095
53647-6095