Warren L. Wood, Jr., rescued Jessica M. Lewis and Amber L. Johnson from burning and attempted to save Michael W. Johnson, Crozet, Virginia, November 10, 2011. Lewis, 36, was the driver of an automobile that left the roadway, struck a tree, and caught fire at its front end. She was trapped in the wreckage, as were her daughter, Amber, 20, who was in the front passenger seat, and Michael, 40, who was in the back seat. A volunteer firefighter who lived nearby, Wood, 45, facilities manager, responded to the scene on being alerted to the accident. Without donning protective gear or waiting for backup, he approached the burning vehicle, reached through the opened driver’s door, and freed Lewis’s foot from the pedals. He lifted her from the car and then re-entered it and knelt on the driver’s seat. He reached over and freed Amber’s feet from folds in the wreckage and, backing, pulled her from the vehicle. Despite flames spreading into the interior of the vehicle from the dashboard and igniting the front passenger seat, Wood re-entered the vehicle again, through the rear door on the driver’s side. He grasped Michael by the belt and pulled him out of the vehicle. Flames grew shortly to engulf the car. Lewis and Amber were taken to the hospital, where Lewis was treated for injuries, including third-degree burns. Amber did not survive the accident, nor did Michael.
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