EAST ST. LOUIS - It has been a week of Good Samaritan types of acts in the region. At 2:43 p.m. Friday, another Good Samaritan effort with multiple people occurred on Interstate 55 northbound at milepost 2.4 in East St. Louis. An Illinois Department of Transportation Emergency Patrol operator - David Taylor - saw flames coming from an engine of a driver who struck the guard rail. Taylor broke the vehicle's window and climbed inside, put the vehicle in park and opened the driver's door.
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When Taylor approached the vehicle, he found the driver, Joseph W. Laure, 60, of Defiance, Mo., unresponsive. The driver was operating a black 2008 Kia Sportage. Another Good Samaritan, Sheard Cedric, who had stopped to assist, quickly worked hand in hand with Taylor and they were able to pull the driver to safety before the vehicle became fully engulfed with flames.
Another EPV operator, Neil Grueninger, arrived to assist and then added his part to the brave effort. Grueninger administered CPR until Troopers arrived.
"Troopers administered Narcan and glucose to the driver and his condition began to improve," ISP said. "By the time EMS arrived Laure was sitting up and speaking. Laure was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The flames were so intense that they deformed the Milepost sign next to the vehicle."
Earlier in the week, an Edwardsville man saved an entire family when he saw smoke coming from their residence early in the morning:
And in another similar story, this off-duty Edwardsville firefighter and the Godfrey Fire Protection District firefighters saved a home:.
No further information will be disseminated at this time from the I-55 Friday accident.
All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
