Apprentice Ryan Kilgour stands in front of the Local 105 union hall.
Apprentice completes rescue seconds before car explodes
RYAN KILGOUR, A third-year apprentice out of Local 105 (Chillicothe, Ohio), was on his way to Athens, Ohio, to play in a golf tournament May 3 with his buddy, Clint Potter, when they spotted white smoke. As they slowed down their car, they saw debris on the highway and then an overturned sports utility vehicle at the bottom of an embankment.
Potter dialed 911 as Kilgour raced down the hill. He could see a woman (42-year-old Dorothy Edwards) in the driver’s seat.
“When I was within 15 feet of the car, I could see that the whole bottom of the car was on fire,” Kilgour said. “Something must have hit the gas line.”
Kilgour acted quickly, unlatching the victim’s seatbelt and pulling her out of the vehicle.
“She was conscious, but she had no idea what was going on,” he said. “She was very confused and very groggy.” Her injuries did not appear to be serious, so Kilgour and another man who had spotted the wreck assisted the woman up the embankment and away from her burning vehicle.
“According to reports, no more than a minute or two after the rescue, the sports utility vehicle exploded and burst fully into flames,” said L-105 BM-ST Van Stephens. “Had she not been able to get out of the vehicle, it’s quite likely she would have died.
“Thanks to the bravery of these young men, Ms. Edwards was saved,” Stephens said.
