James Rick Manns saved William J. Robinson from being struck by a train, Sandersville, Mississippi, January 26, 1978. Robinson, 67, was in a pickup truck that straddled a railroad track, headed the same direction as an oncoming train. Manns, 22, cattle rancher, ran about 200 feet to the driver’s side of the truck, reaching the vehicle when the train was approximately 300 feet away and approaching at a decreasing speed, its brakes having been applied. Manns opened the truck door, leaned into the cab, and grasped Robinson, who was inert. Throwing himself backward, Manns jerked Robinson from the cab just as the train made contact with the rear of the truck, pushing it about 1,600 feet along the track before stopping. Neither Robinson nor Manns sustained injury.
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