Steve Linder rescued Leslie B. Deal from burning, Macon, Georgia, December 14, 2006. Leslie, 16, was the driver of an automobile that collided with another at an intersection. Flames erupted in the engine compartment of the car and spread to the interior, where Leslie, semiconscious, remained in the driver’s seat. A motorist who witnessed the collision, Linder, 52, salesperson, stopped at the scene and, after ensuring that the occupants of the other vehicle were safe, approached the burning car. He tried to open its driver’s door, but the door was jammed. As the glass was missing from the window of that door, Linder reached into the car and grasped Leslie but saw that her safety belt was attached. Despite flames underneath the dashboard on the passenger side, Linder released the belt and then began to pull Leslie through the window. When he had her halfway through the window, he found that she was caught by the steering wheel. Again reaching into the car, Linder freed Leslie and pulled her from the vehicle, and then he dragged her to safety. Within moments, flames engulfed the interior of the car. Leslie required hospital treatment for lacerations and other injuries, and she sustained minor burns to an arm.
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