An off-duty Special Forces Soldier’s quick thinking, and quick action, saved an unconscious driver’s life moments before the driver’s car exploded.
He was driving his brother-in-law, and his family, to the airport in order to drop off his brother-in-law. It was dark, approximately 3:30 AM, when he saw something that was not normal… A couple of headlights shining out of the ditch.
He quickly went into action, pulled over, had his wife call 911, and had his brother-in-law move the family’s vehicle further away from the other vehicle.
The other driver was apparently drunk, and unconscious, and had rolled off the highway. With his foot still on the accelerator, his engine overheated and it resulted in a fire.
From the Army Times:
The car was covered in briar patches, he said, and the driver’s lead foot on the accelerator had caused the engine to overheat. As the shrubs caught fire, Kingsley pulled the driver out, then directed his brother-in-law to move their own car farther away, out of the reach of the fire.
“I grabbed the guy, I put him on my shoulders, I started walking out, and the vehicle exploded,” he said.
For his quick action, SFC Erik Kingsley earned the Soldier’s Medal. This is the highest noncombat award for valor and bravery that the Army awards its soldiers in situations like this.
Thanks to Devtun for the link. You can read more here.