AA87
06-05-10, 02:27 PM
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/news/2010-06-05/ex-marine-didnt-hesitate-sight-i-57-chain-reaction-collision.html
MATTOON – Jason Antoine didn't give a second thought to stopping his van on the southbound shoulder of Interstate 57 to help four women in a burning sport utility vehicle on Memorial Day.
The 34-year-old former Marine from Carterville was on his way home from Six Flags at Gurnee with his wife, his mother-in-law, his two children and his niece and nephew when they drove up on the horrendous chain-reaction collision in the northbound lanes that involved nine vehicles.
Three women were killed and more than a dozen others injured, two of them critically.
But for Antoine's actions, there may have been a fourth death.
"We came up on the wreck. I looked over and saw a couple damaged cars but the one in the middle was the worst," he said.
Antoine was referring to a sport utility vehicle that contained four women from northwestern Mississippi who were headed to Amish country when they were hit from behind by a distracted semitrailer tractor truck driver about 5 p.m.
The SUV ended up in the median and caught fire.
"The entire back of the vehicle was crushed in. The fire seemed to have originated from the driver's side in the back," he said.
There was no movement from three of the four women who were the passengers, he said. The driver, Debra Faust, 58, of Sardis, Mississippi, was "moving her lips slightly."
"They were in pretty bad shape. It just wasn't a very pretty picture. I'm a former Marine and I know what pretty pictures are and aren't," said Antoine. "It's probably one of the worst things I've seen."
The 6 feet 1 inch, 300-pound man said he tried unsuccessfully to pull open the driver's door with his hands. Although there were a couple of other people near that vehicle, he said people seemed reluctant to help.
"A few people did say, 'I don't want to get sued.' I had to keep yelling at people, saying our state has a Good Samaritan law. I kept telling that to people to get some help," he said, adding the next thing he knew another man handed him a claw hammer that he used to pry the door open.
He had already broken the window glass and sprayed Faust with bottled water that his wife of six years, Crystal, had handed him. She also handed him a sweatshirt, which he put over Faust's head to limit the smoke she was inhaling.
"We got the door open and I tried to pull her out myself. I don't know how much I got her out. The whole thing was 30 seconds of horror," he said.
"At that point, the fire started going and then the fire department ordered us away."
Antoine said several motorists had already emptied portable fire extinguishers onto the vehicle when it was just smoking.
"There were more fire extinguishers than I've ever seen. That's something I've never thought about (carrying in a vehicle.) Unfortunately, the bulk of the extinguishers were exhausted right after the smoke started. After those ran out, people resorted to using bottles of water. After the water ran out and the extinguishers ran out is right about when the fire department arrived and the fire took off. Nobody could get into the car," he said.
Antoine said he was contacted earlier this week by a family member of Faust, who expressed gratitude for what he had done. Faust remains in the burn unit of Memorial Medical Center in Springfield in critical condition.
Antoine is a full-time master's student at Southern Illinois University, studying criminal justice. After classes during the day, he's the primary caretaker to the couple's 5-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter because his wife is a juvenile detention officer who works nights. He's more interested in the policy end of the justice system than being a hands-on law enforcement officer.
Antoine said since the accident he's been dealing with a mix of emotions, from awkwardness to misery to sheer relief that Faust lived.
"I have just been praying for that woman and I want her to make a good recovery. And I do plan to see her. This woman is truly blessed to have made it out."
"I told the daughter ... she must have been wrapped in Jesus' hands. Other than that, there's no other way," he said.
MATTOON – Jason Antoine didn't give a second thought to stopping his van on the southbound shoulder of Interstate 57 to help four women in a burning sport utility vehicle on Memorial Day.
The 34-year-old former Marine from Carterville was on his way home from Six Flags at Gurnee with his wife, his mother-in-law, his two children and his niece and nephew when they drove up on the horrendous chain-reaction collision in the northbound lanes that involved nine vehicles.
Three women were killed and more than a dozen others injured, two of them critically.
But for Antoine's actions, there may have been a fourth death.
"We came up on the wreck. I looked over and saw a couple damaged cars but the one in the middle was the worst," he said.
Antoine was referring to a sport utility vehicle that contained four women from northwestern Mississippi who were headed to Amish country when they were hit from behind by a distracted semitrailer tractor truck driver about 5 p.m.
The SUV ended up in the median and caught fire.
"The entire back of the vehicle was crushed in. The fire seemed to have originated from the driver's side in the back," he said.
There was no movement from three of the four women who were the passengers, he said. The driver, Debra Faust, 58, of Sardis, Mississippi, was "moving her lips slightly."
"They were in pretty bad shape. It just wasn't a very pretty picture. I'm a former Marine and I know what pretty pictures are and aren't," said Antoine. "It's probably one of the worst things I've seen."
The 6 feet 1 inch, 300-pound man said he tried unsuccessfully to pull open the driver's door with his hands. Although there were a couple of other people near that vehicle, he said people seemed reluctant to help.
"A few people did say, 'I don't want to get sued.' I had to keep yelling at people, saying our state has a Good Samaritan law. I kept telling that to people to get some help," he said, adding the next thing he knew another man handed him a claw hammer that he used to pry the door open.
He had already broken the window glass and sprayed Faust with bottled water that his wife of six years, Crystal, had handed him. She also handed him a sweatshirt, which he put over Faust's head to limit the smoke she was inhaling.
"We got the door open and I tried to pull her out myself. I don't know how much I got her out. The whole thing was 30 seconds of horror," he said.
"At that point, the fire started going and then the fire department ordered us away."
Antoine said several motorists had already emptied portable fire extinguishers onto the vehicle when it was just smoking.
"There were more fire extinguishers than I've ever seen. That's something I've never thought about (carrying in a vehicle.) Unfortunately, the bulk of the extinguishers were exhausted right after the smoke started. After those ran out, people resorted to using bottles of water. After the water ran out and the extinguishers ran out is right about when the fire department arrived and the fire took off. Nobody could get into the car," he said.
Antoine said he was contacted earlier this week by a family member of Faust, who expressed gratitude for what he had done. Faust remains in the burn unit of Memorial Medical Center in Springfield in critical condition.
Antoine is a full-time master's student at Southern Illinois University, studying criminal justice. After classes during the day, he's the primary caretaker to the couple's 5-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter because his wife is a juvenile detention officer who works nights. He's more interested in the policy end of the justice system than being a hands-on law enforcement officer.
Antoine said since the accident he's been dealing with a mix of emotions, from awkwardness to misery to sheer relief that Faust lived.
"I have just been praying for that woman and I want her to make a good recovery. And I do plan to see her. This woman is truly blessed to have made it out."
"I told the daughter ... she must have been wrapped in Jesus' hands. Other than that, there's no other way," he said.