Highway Landscape Leadingman

Department of Transportation

1/10/1966

Special Act Award (Gold)

On January 10, 1966, Benjamin H. Harbor, a Highway Landscape Leadingman, was on duty trimming trees at Oak and Fell Streets in San Francisco with his coworker, Willie Davis, when an accident occurred on the Central Freeway above them. Benjamin 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. His coworker 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. Benjamin then entered the car from the other side, raised the seat, and cut off the child’s seatbelt making it possible for Benjamin and his coworker to remove the infant just an instant before the car exploded and was completely enveloped in flames. Mr. Harbor 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. Benjamin Harbor performed an extraordinary act of heroism, at great risk to his safety and life, in trying to save the life of another person.