MH Airman saves girl from burning vehicle

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Erin Tindell
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho (ACCNS) --  An Airman from the 366th Component Maintenance Squadron saved a woman from a car before it caught fire Oct. 21 in southern Idaho. 

Captain Anthony Pickett had finished dropping off Combined Federal Campaign donations in Boise and was traveling to Jackpot, Nev., when he saw an accident occur ahead of him. 

A father, mother and daughter were traveling to Jerome, Idaho, with their three dogs, when the SUV they were traveling in veered off the road, and flipped five times before landing upright. 

Immediately, Captain Pickett, along with three other motorists, pulled over to help the family inside. 

"The first thing that ran through my mind when I saw the accident was, 'I gotta do something,'" he said. "It didn't matter that I had plans." 

When the captain and other motorists arrived to the scene, the father had escaped from the car, but was in shock and wasn't helping his wife or daughter out the vehicle. By this time, Captain Pickett noticed the engine was smoking and on the verge of catching fire. 

While two of the other motorists worked to pull the mother through the front passenger door that was stuck, Captain Pickett was able to pull the teenage daughter, Dorothy, from the back seat. 

Pumped full of adrenaline, the captain flung the girl over his back and ran her about 100 meters away to safety. The girl had a bloody nose, scraped forehead and complained that her back and feet were sore. 

"When I was running her to safety, she kept asking for her phone and camera, but I told her to remain calm and that her items were material possessions that can be replaced," the captain said. 

All of the family members and one dog were safely out of the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames. One of the dogs died during the rollover, and another ran away. The captain and other motorists stayed with the family until an ambulance came.