Thomas Lee Ray helped to save Hugh B. Tipton, Sr., from burning, Lecompte, Louisiana, July 3, 1973. When his truck was involved in a head-on collision, Tipton, 30, sustained injuries which proved fatal and, unconscious, was pinned under the steering wheel. Ray, 21, steel erector, and another man ran to the opened passenger door of the truck’s cab, beneath which flames had broken out from leaking gasoline. They attempted to remove Tipton but found he was caught. As the flames spread along the opposite side of the track and the fumes of escaping fuel increased, Ray and the other man tugged on Tipton until they freed him. Bystanders then aided Ray and the other man in moving Tipton away from the cab, which soon afterward was filled by a sudden increase in flames.
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