Trevor Fox helped to rescue Steven E. Bull from burning, El Segundo, California, March 13, 2011. Bull, 52, was at the controls of a commercial helicopter being used to lift heavy equipment from the roof of a two-story industrial building. During one such lift, the craft lost partial engine power, sending it crashing to the pavement beside the building, where it lay on its side. The helicopter caught fire as Bull, injured and unconscious, remained in the cockpit, strapped to his seat and otherwise trapped in the wreckage, by an arm. One of his coworkers, Fox, 32, mechanic, who was nearby working the job from the ground, witnessed the accident and immediately responded to the scene. He removed glass from the helicopter’s windscreen and then extended his upper body into cockpit, despite flames beginning to enter it behind Bull. He released Bull’s safety belt and shoulder harness and then supported him, even though Bull outweighed him by more than 50 pounds. Another coworker arrived, as did an employee from another company working on the job. Also extending their upper bodies into the cockpit, those two men joined in the effort to free Bull, Fox fighting the advancing flames with a small fire extinguisher he obtained from the helicopter. After Bull was freed when his other coworker pulled hard on his arm, the three rescuers removed him from the cockpit and dragged him several feet away. Flames grew quickly to consume the cockpit, cabin, and much of the fuselage, including the craft’s two fuel tanks. Bull was hospitalized three days for treatment of his injuries, which included minor burns, and he recovered.
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