SRU student recounts pulling man to safety from burning tractor-trailer
A Slippery Rock University student is being honored for act of heroism where he pulled a man trapped in a burning tractor-trailer to safety.
Sgt. David Duffey was recognized by the SRU board of trustees at their Friday quarterly board meeting for saving a man’s life on Oct. 16.
Duffey, a sergeant of the 28th Military Police Company of the Army National Guard and current Slippery Rock student, was coming home from a weekend training drill for the National Guard when he witnessed a crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
“I kind of just snapped into sergeant mode,” Duffey said. “Giving people direction on what to do and everything like that.”
Duffey was driving westbound on the turnpike near Irwin when he saw a tractor-trailer drift and slam into an overpass. The cabin flipped and quickly engulfed in flames, which prompted Duffey to spring into action.
“To be honest, the only thing going through my head at that moment was that I needed to get this dude out of the truck as fast as possible,” Duffey said.
“As soon as I saw it, I swerved over myself just to make sure the driver was OK.”
Duffey had to drag driver Shune Moore, 56, of North Braddock, out the passenger side door.
Duffey strained himself while doing so, being diagnosed with muscular and skeletal pain afterward.
The truck exploded shortly after Duffey’s rescue.
Duffey said he felt only 30 seconds had lapsed between the time he got to the truck and the explosion and that the truck burst into flames about four or five seconds after the driver was completely removed from the truck.
Duffey has been serving in the National Guard for seven years. He says the training he has received helped with the rescue. He said other people at the scene of the crash helped him save the driver.
An older man helped pull the driver away from the truck. He and Duffey were knocked to the ground by the explosion.
The older man’s wife phoned the police, and two young men helped carry the driver after the explosion. Another pedestrian filmed the incident and posted the video on Facebook.
Duffey said he hasn’t connected with the driver or the other rescuers. He doesn’t know any of the names of the others in the rescue, but he said he wishes to connect with them.
As for the driver, Duffey said that he called Moore’s employer the following day to see how he was doing and was told that Moore was OK, but a bit shaken up from the incident. Duffey wanted to connect with a family member of Moore at the scene, but his phone was in the truck when it exploded.
“Looking back on it, I don’t think anyone thinks they have the courage to do it until they actually do it,” said Duffey. “I get freaked out just watching the video of it, because I see how close it was to exploding.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I was scared the whole time I was there, but I was more scared for the driver because he was trapped and I had to get him.” Duffey said.
The commendation cited Duffey “for being an inspiration to your community for exemplifying self-sacrifice and bystander intervention.”
In addition to the commendation at the meeting, he also received a $1,000 scholarship for his efforts. Duffey received his undergraduate degree from Slippery Rock on Saturday, making it quite the weekend for the hero.
He received his undergraduate in dual criminology and criminal justice and psychology. He is pursuing a graduate degree at Slippery Rock and plans to become a criminal justice professor. He doesn’t have a plan for where he wants to receive his doctorate after receiving his graduate degree.
“I’m just incredibly grateful to God that me and the driver are OK,” Duffey said.
