Ted Eichelberger rescued Lance H. Wiese from burning, Versailles, Illinois, October 10, 1984. Wiese, 22, farmer, lay aflame and unconscious in the overturned cab of his grain truck after it collided with a tractor-trailer and one of its gasoline tanks exploded in flames. Working nearby, Eichelberger, 41, farmer, heard the crash, saw the flames, and ran to Wiese’s truck. Despite flames shooting into the air, thick smoke, and intense heat, Eichelberger knelt, reached through the cab’s broken-out windshield, and grasped Wiese. Eichelberger pulled him from the cab and dragged him clear of the wreckage. He then extinguished flames on Wiese and removed his smoldering clothes. Moments later, the truck’s other gasoline tank exploded. Wiese received disabling burns over 60 percent of his body.
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