Christopher M. Lowe died helping to save Kevin M. Bates from suffocation, St. Marys, West Virginia, October 4, 1984. Bates, 22, was overcome by natural gas fumes inside an above-ground tank that contained 40 inches of water. When Lowe, 26, service rig operator, saw that Bates was in trouble, he shouted to his co-workers, then entered the tank after Bates. Lowe supported Bates before being overcome by the fumes. Two co-workers entered the tank and were also overcome. The four men were removed by others. Bates recovered after hospitalization, but Lowe drowned.
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