Highway Landscape Maintenance Technician

Department of Transportation

1/10/1966

Special Act Award (Gold)

On January 10, 1966, Willie Davis, a Highway Landscape Maintenance technician, was on duty trimming trees at Oak and Fell Streets in San Francisco with his coworker, Ben Harbor, when an accident occurred on the Central Freeway above them. Willie ran to the scene accompanied by his coworker, as did some other Public Works maintenance workers, and they found a car overturned already in flames, with a young woman pleading for someone to help remove her baby from the auto. Willie immediately crawled into the overturned vehicle and attempted to rescue the child but was unable to do so because the seat had broken loose and was lying atop the 2-year-old male child. Willie’s coworker entered the car from the other side, raised the seat, and cut off the child’s seatbelt making it possible for Mr. Davis and Mr. Harbor to remove the infant just an instant before the car exploded and was completely enveloped in flames. Mr. Davis disregarded the imminent danger of explosion and fatal burns to himself while removing the child from the burning automobile. Unfortunately, the child passed away later that evening from the serious injuries sustained in the high speed crash. Willie Davis performed an extraordinary act of heroism, at great risk to his safety and life, in trying to save the life of another person.