William Dean Basler

William Dean Basler rescued Kristy A. Dudley and Stacey L. Taylor from a runaway carriage, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 8, 2007. Sightseeing, friends Dudley, 26, and Taylor, 28, were passengers inside a closed carriage that was being pulled by a horse on a six-lane, center city street. A van approached from behind and struck the carriage, sending its driver to the pavement. Spooked, the horse continued, at a trot, causing the carriage to lurch. Witnessing the accident, Basler, 19, began to chase the carriage, but when a taxicab stopped beside him, he boarded it and was driven to a point ahead of the runaway carriage. As the carriage approached him, having covered 1,000 feet, Basler climbed onto its side and then forward to its bench, which served as the driver’s seat. He seized the reins and pulled, stopping the horse, but the momentum of the carriage prompted the horse to resume running. Basler took the horse and carriage to a stop about 600 feet beyond the point where he had boarded the carriage. Jostled, Dudley and Taylor were taken to the hospital for observation.