Pico Rivera : Council Honors Pair Who Saved Man From Truck Fire
The City Council has honored two local heroes who risked their lives to pull an injured passenger from a burning truck. Jose Luis Aguilar and Edgardo Vela received council proclamations this week for their lifesaving actions of May 17.
Aguilar was driving east along Washington Boulevard at 2 a.m. when he saw an accident in the darkness ahead. A pickup truck slammed into a concrete light standard, careened onto the sidewalk and then burst into flames.
The collision killed the driver and trapped an injured passenger in the cab. Aguilar immediately ran to the burning truck along with Vela, who had heard the crash from his nearby home.
They pulled 22-year-old Denny Lee Hill to safety. Sheriff’s investigators said that the good Samaritans probably saved Hill’s life. Vela, a Pico Rivera resident, was not present at Monday’s council meeting to receive his proclamation. Aguilar downplayed his heroism.
“I wasn’t thinking,” said the Whittier resident. “I was just reacting.”
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