Donald Gollwitzer

Donald Gollwitzer of Grafton, Wisconsin, for going above and beyond in his courageous rescue during a highway accident. On July 31, 2005, Gollwitzer witnesses a collision in which a drunk driver drove his pick-up truck into a minivan carrying a family of five who had just returned from a family trip abroad. The minivan exploded into flames. While the parents were able to escape the disaster, their eleven-year-old son remained in his seat, unconscious and strapped in by his seat belt. Gollwitzer abandoned his car and ran to the van, breaking the window with his fist to gain access to the vehicle before releasing the safety belt, lifting the boy out, and getting him away from the flames and intense heat. The family’s two other children, a five-year-old boy and his fourteen-year-old sister, died at the scene.

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