Father and son homebuilders who admit they like their sleep, and a longtime firefighter used to being roused in the middle of the night, were honored Tuesday for saving the life of an accident victim last year.
David Brown, 43; Michael Brown, 19; and Edward Chearney, 54, all of Acme, were awarded Meritorious Citizenship Awards by state police at Greensburg.
The three rushed from their homes at 2 a.m. May 4, 2006, and pulled a man from a car that had crashed into a wall along County Line Road in Donegal Township.
State police spokeswoman Jeanne Martin said the driver, whom police identified as William S. Davis, was intoxicated. Davis, whose age and address were not available yesterday, was arrested and prosecuted, she said.
David Brown said his wife, Jamie Brown, woke him after hearing the crash.
"She said someone hit the wall down the road," he said. "I said, 'Well, it will be there in the morning.'"
When Jamie Brown saw flames, she said yesterday, "I said, 'Dave, I think it's finally time to get out of bed.'"
She then called for help.
Brown woke his son and the two ran to the scene.
Flames were coming through the windshield, David Brown said, and they could see that someone was trapped. Michael Brown was able to hold a door open while David Brown dragged the man out. At that point Chearney arrived.
"And the car just burst into flames," Brown said.
He said Davis appeared incoherent.
"He was saying, 'Leave me in here and let me burn up,'" Brown said.
At the same time, Davis said he wanted to get out.
"I don't think he really knew what was happening," Brown said.
Michael Brown, who works with his father, had to be up at 6 a.m. that morning, and joked that he had to be dragged out of bed.
"Whenever I saw the flames coming up through the sunroof and going through the windshield," he said, "I got a little scared for everyone. Once we got everyone out, I knew everything was going to be OK."
He estimated it took about 15 seconds to extricate Davis.
"But it felt like forever," Brown said. "I didn't think about my safety. It was strictly getting him out of the vehicle."
He said receiving the award was "pretty exciting. I'm happy that I got it."
Chearney, a firefighter with Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Department for 32 years, said he heard the call on his pager.
By the time he arrived, he said, the Browns had Davis out of the vehicle. He helped carry him away from the car.
Chearney, who is employed with the Westmoreland County Bureau of Weights and Measures, praised the Browns for their efforts.
"They did real well," he said. "Not too many people from the public will step up in that capacity."
David Brown, who said he believed Davis lives in Fayette County, said the man left a message on his answering machine after the accident.
"He thanked us for saving his life," he said. "He knew he couldn't repay us."
Trooper Rocco Russo, who responded to the accident scene with Trooper Timothy Harrer, nominated the three for the award.
He said they were still on the scene when he arrived, and Davis had been transported for medical treatment.
"This definitely would have been a fatality if they hadn't done what they did," Russo said.
"(Davis) was pretty much stuck."
The awards were presented by Capt. Harvey Cole Jr., commander of Troop A at Greensburg.
"How many citizens do we have on a daily basis that step up and put themselves in harm's way?" Cole said. "We appreciate that and want to recognize that."
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_529394.html
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