Craig Gay did not hesitate to stop to help when he encountered a vehicle that had been involved in a single-car accident. Craig was driving home late from work when he noticed the vehicle had hit a guardrail and was on fire. He approached the car to check on its occupants and saw the driver was still in the car.
According to Craig, the female driver was incoherent and wasn’t responding to his commands to exit the car. He dialed 911 and continued attempting to get the woman out as knew time was of the essence. Two good samaritans stopped after Craig flagged them down and one provided a pair of scissors that he used to cut the seatbelt to free the driver. “I just hopped in the car with her. I was like ‘hey, we got to get out,’ so I just grabbed her, hooked under her arms and pulled her out and then the gentleman pulled me for us to get out because the flames were coming up,” recalled Craig.
As he held on to the woman to get her out of the car, one of the good samaritans helped by pulling him out. The woman was carried out to safety as first responders arrived on the scene. “Two more minutes and it would have been too late because the car became engulfed in flames,” said Craig.
For his selfless actions that day, Craig was presented with the American Red Cross Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action. This is awarded to individuals who step up in an emergency situation and help save or sustain a life.
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