Governor honors heroes of tanker truck explosion

The truck driver rescued was from Fort Wayne.

Press release from the Governor’s Office:

Governor honors heroes of tanker truck explosion

INDIANAPOLIS (November 24, 2009) – Governor Mitch Daniels today honored Robert Skaggs and Lonnie Hood with the Governor’s Heroism Award for rescuing a semi truck driver from a burning propane tanker before it exploded on October 22 near I-69 and I-465 in northeast Indianapolis.

Skaggs, of Fortville, was traveling ahead of the tanker truck and witnessed the truck flip over in his rearview mirror. Hood, of Acton, was working at a nearby apartment complex and heard the crash. The two men rushed to the scene of the burning truck and worked together to remove the truck’s broken windshield. They pulled the driver to safety shortly before the tanker exploded.

“This is a striking story of two citizens who were thrown by chance into a life-threatening situation and without hesitation knowingly put themselves at risk, and in the process saved a life,” said Daniels. “Whatever else a hero may be, that’s it to me.”

The Governor’s Heroism Award was created by Daniels in 2007 to honor “unique and special people, who give selflessly and at genuine risk to themselves.” To date, the governor has awarded approximately 15 Heroism awards, most recently to a maintenance worker at the Branchville Correctional Facility who was injured when three offenders attempted to escape from the facility earlier this year.

Representatives from local emergency agencies who responded at the scene of the explosion also were on hand for today’s ceremony.

Audio from today’s presentation can be found here.

Video will be available later today at this link.

Photos will be available later today at this link.