Arthur E. Hewson, rescued Albert Leith from burning, Cornwall, Ontario, August 12, 1964. When Leith’s trailer truck was involved in a collision, gasoline from a broken fuel line caught fire and flames spread in the cab. Leith’s foot was caught, trapping him inside. Hewson, 52, truck driver, stopped his truck nearby and ran to the driver’s side of the cab, in which the flames had spread on the seat to Leith, 39, truck driver, burning away his shirt. Finding the door jammed, Hewson climbed onto the truck’s fuel tank, which contained 120 gallons of gasoline. He placed one foot on the fender and forcibly pulled the door open. Flames covered much of the floor of the cab, issued through the open window of the opposite door, and were spreading on the roof. Hewson tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher but discarded it when it proved ineffective. Standing on the step below the open door, he started to pull Leith from the cab but found his foot was caught. With Leith leaning against him, Hewson extended his hand into the cab to within a foot of the flames and knocked Leith’s foot free. He lifted Leith out of the cab and carried him across the highway. As he was placing Leith on the ground, the fuel tank exploded, sending flames 100 feet into the air and igniting the trailer containing drums of naphtha, which later exploded. Leith, who had suffered extensive burns, died 19 hours later.
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