The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission recently awarded former Santa Paula resident Troy Martin the Carnegie Medal for rescuing Ricardo Rodriguez from a burning car in Santa Paula on Feb. 11, 2017. Established in 1904 by Andrew Carnegie, an industrialist-philanthropist, the Carnegie Medal is awarded to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save lives of others. This time around 18 civilians throughout the U.S. and Canada were awarded the Carnegie Medal that comes with a financial grant to the awardees or their survivors. Martin was the only individual recognized from California.
On Feb. 11, 2017 64-year-old machinist Troy Martin encountered a vehicle that, in an accident in Santa Paula, CA, went off the highway into a ditch, coming to rest on its passenger side on uneven ground with driver 19-year-old Ricardo Rodriguez trapped inside and fire under the car’s hood and at the floorboards. Martin retrieved a machete from his car. Moving to a rocky slope at the car’s roof, he repeatedly struck the sunroof panel of the car until he created an opening. With the dashboard on fire, Martin reached his arms through the opening and grasped Rodriguez’s upper body and dragged Rodriguez from the car, which was shortly engulfed by fire. Rodriguez suffered a back injury and minor burns to a hand and his thighs. Martin recovered from minor burns to his hand singeing to his head, and bruises and cuts to his head and legs.
Get Citizensjournal.us Headlines free SUBSCRIPTION. Keep us publishing – DONATE
