State Traffic Officer

California Highway Patrol

5/28/1991

Special Service Award (Silver)

State Traffic Officer Thomas Christian, on May 28, 1991, performed an extraordinary act of heroism performed at great personal risk to his own safety and life, by assisting in the rescue of an unconscious driver from a burning vehicle. At approximately 9:46 a.m., Officer Christian witnessed a traffic collision involving a vehicle which became engulfed in flames. Officer Christian, upon exhausting the fire extinguisher, attempted to enter the burning vehicle. Officer Christian noticed the driver of the vehicle could not be removed from the driver’s side of the car, so he ran to the passenger side of the vehicle. The fire was entering the interior of the vehicle. The unconscious driver was pinned in the car by the crushed-in dash. Officer Christian entered the burning vehicle from the passenger side and began pulling up on the dash and steering wheel in an attempt to free the victim’s legs. By this time, the victim’s legs appeared to be burning. Despite the ever present danger, the driver was pulled from the vehicle to safety by the assistance of Officer Christian and other witnesses.