Helena M. MacLeod saved Lorraine M. Lynch from burning, Dedham, Massachusetts, November 24, 1960. When the four-door sedan in which they were riding was struck from behind by another vehicle, Miss Lynch, 47, suffered a head injury and lost consciousness, and Mrs. MacLeod, 53, assistant jewelry buyer, was thrown through an open door onto the highway, sustaining only bruises. The woman who had been driving suffered a severe head laceration but climbed out of the sedan, which had remained upright. Mrs. MacLeod ran to the sedan and saw Miss Lynch lying inert in the rear compartment. A gust of flames then appeared on the rear seat. Extending her head and arms into the sedan through the open rear door to within six inches of the flames, Mrs. MacLeod took hold of Miss Lynch around the waist. As she did so, an explosive spread of flames occurred in the rear compartment, igniting Mrs. MacLeod’s hair. She maintained her hold on Miss Lynch and with effort pulled her from the sedan just as massive flames spread throughout the interior. Mrs. MacLeod dragged Miss Lynch 20 feet away as flames enveloped the entire automobile. The sedan was almost totally destroyed. The other woman and Miss Lynch were hospitalized for their injuries. Most of Mrs. MacLeod’s hair had been burned away, and she sustained burns to her head and neck. All three women recovered.
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