ULM Pikes Save Man From Burning, Exploding Car

Rob Fox10 years ago

To most people, fraternity guys might not seem like people you want helping you out in a life-threatening situation, at least on the surface. Yes, they’re probably a little drunk (or hungover) and no, they probably won’t care to learn your name. But what they lack in sobriety–possibly BECAUSE of what they lack in sobriety–they make up for in sheer balls. If I’m in a situation that requires my saving by someone willing to completely disregard his own safety, then I want that someone to be a person who lives with a general reckless abandon in the first place. Anyone brave enough to go down on a chick nicknamed “Swamp Muff Marcy” just to wing his pledge brother is the kind of guy I want risking his life for me. You can’t give fucks about yourself when, say, you’re prying a half-conscious man out of his burning vehicle, like four University of Louisiana-Monroe Pikes did the other day.

“We heard tires squeak and some loud noises and when we got close to the wreck, the back-end caught fire,” said Pierce.

Once it was evident that someone was inside the vehicle, the men took to finding a solution to free the victim.

“The doors were jammed so we started on the front,” said Durand. “We were talking to him and trying to get him to communicate. He was dazed and couldn’t speak. There were small explosions going off so we took the door where the window starts and bent that all the way down.”

With the door removed, Durand realized that the situation was worse than they expected.

“We tried to get him out and we couldn’t get him to budge,” he said. “The steering wheel was pinned down on his legs. We couldn’t move him at all.”

After multiple attempts to remove the victim, Pierce knew they didn’t have much longer to achieve a successful outcome.

He said, “It felt like we had been pulling on him for 15 or 20 minutes, but it was really only a minute or two. Then, the entire car became engulfed, even inside the cab itself, and at that point and time everyone was thinking worst-case scenario—it’s going to blow.”

Pierce and the others stepped back to assess the situation and came to the conclusion that they had only moments left to save the man’s life.

“He came to, and started to fight and try to get out, so we got back in and were able to pull him out,” said Pierce.

Once they pulled the victim to safety, Pierce began efforts to keep him stabilized and alert.

“His words were short and muttered but when he first said his name and I repeated it back to him, I said it incorrectly. He corrected me and that was a good sign.”

…

“We realized the danger, but it never entered our heads to stop. It was intense,” said Pierce.

Tommy Walpole, staff adviser for the ULM chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha said, “I’m proud of them and I know that a lot of people wouldn’t do what they did. It was pretty remarkable.”

Pierce says that he and his brothers were recently contacted by the fiancée of the victim. They plan to meet with her soon.

Good on you, ULM Pikes. That took some serious balls. The last time I saw a car on fire, I just drove right past it. Then again, I was leaving a strip club at 3 a.m., and burning, abandoned cars are what they use for street lights in East St. Louis.

[via ULM.edu]