William H. Lairson rescued John J. Roach from a fatal fall, Shawnee, Oklahoma, October 3, 1934. Roach, 28, was working at the top of a tower of framework 49 feet high and five feet square when he lost his footing and fell head first inside the tower. Lairson, 39, laborer, who was on the ground close to the tower, heard a noise, looked up, and saw Roach falling. He took a step or two, spread his legs to brace himself, and caught Roach around the chest and shoulders with both arms but was unable to sustain his weight. Roach fell on the top of an 18-inch square bucket that was in a sump with the top at ground level. Lairson was knocked backward by the impact and fell on the ground on his back. Roach sustained fractures of his left arm, left hip, and right leg. He recovered. Lairson sustained a wrenched ankle and contusions of face, shoulder, and chest, which did not keep him from his work.
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