Three Rockwall High School graduates received Meritorious Service awards from the Forney Police Department for their acts of heroism earlier this year on May 9, 2013. The Forney City Council presented the awards at their August 20th City Council Meeting.
Texas State Governor Rick Perry also recognized the young men with certificates brandishing the official Seal of the State of Texas and the governor's signature.
On the morning of May 9, 2013, at approximately 2:00 a.m., C.J. Howland, Steve Glasscock, and Daniel Horn were traveling on FM 460 when they came upon an accident involving a silver Mercedes that struck a tree. One man was trapped inside the vehicle and believed to be dead by a witness that arrived at the accident before the three young men.
Hearing a groan from the driver, the men jumped into action. In an exclusive interview with inForney.com after the accident, C.J. Howland said, “We just did what we had to do that night to help the gentlemen out and get him away from the [vehicle] fire.”
The men used a box-cutter knife to free the driver from his seatbelt and struggled to open the door, “but luckily we did,” said Howland. Just three minutes after the initial call to police and seconds after extricating the driver, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames.
The driver was later transported by an East Texas Medical ambulance to Baylor University Medical Hospital in Dallas in critical condition. The Monday after the incident, a spokesperson at Baylor told inForney.com he was still in critical condition.
"It was certainly a humbling and incredible experience for Steve, Dan, and myself. Definitely not going to forget yesterday and how awesome the City of Forney has been through this whole thing," said C.J. Howland after receiving the award.
Attempts to contact the family of the victim were not immediately answered.
On the morning of May 9, 2013, at approximately 2:00 a.m., C.J. Howland, Steve Glasscock, and Daniel Horn were traveling on FM 460 when they came upon an accident involving a silver Mercedes that struck a tree. One man was trapped inside the vehicle and believed to be dead by a witness that arrived at the accident before the three young men.
Hearing a groan from the driver, the men jumped into action. In an exclusive interview with inForney.com after the accident, C.J. Howland said, “We just did what we had to do that night to help the gentlemen out and get him away from the [vehicle] fire.”
The men used a box-cutter knife to free the driver from his seatbelt and struggled to open the door, “but luckily we did,” said Howland. Just three minutes after the initial call to police and seconds after extricating the driver, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames.
The driver was later transported by an East Texas Medical ambulance to Baylor University Medical Hospital in Dallas in critical condition. The Monday after the incident, a spokesperson at Baylor told inForney.com he was still in critical condition.
"It was certainly a humbling and incredible experience for Steve, Dan, and myself. Definitely not going to forget yesterday and how awesome the City of Forney has been through this whole thing," said C.J. Howland after receiving the award.
Attempts to contact the family of the victim were not immediately answered.