CHARLESTON, S.C. – Lt. Col. Larry M. Peeples, commander of the South Carolina Army National Guard’s 218th Brigade Support Battalion in Varnville, S.C., has seen a lot in his 20 years in the National Guard but on the morning of Sept. 22, 2009 he saw more than he expected.
"In my rear view mirror, I could see the train and I looked to my left and a log truck came to the crossing 100 yards ahead of the train and at that point, the log truck would have to hurry and get across or backup. As he tried to backup, he chocked the vehicle down and it stopped on the tracks," said Peeples during an interview with local news channel. "I saw the driver struggling to backup the vehicle. I realized he wasn't going to make it."
At that point the unimaginable happened right before Peeples’ eyes. The train struck the truck on the passenger side with enough force that it completely destroyed the massive tractor.
“I saw the train hit the logging truck. It blew the truck in four different directions,” Peeples remembered.
Pieces of the log truck were scattered all over the area, the front axle landed in a ditch and one of the fenders was found later near the front of the train.
Even after witnessing such a shocking crash, Peeples did not hesitate at all. Knowing that time was of the essence, Peeples quickly acted.
“I called 911 and then I said ‘Well I'm going to go back and see if anyone lived through that.’ I had to jump over the train to get to the truck. I first looked in the cab but he wasn’t there. Then I saw him in the ditch near a telephone pole,” Peeples said.
The impact had ejected the driver through the windshield and then into a chain link fence before finally landing into a ditch.
Peeples recalled the horrific scene. “When I found him, he was bleeding from several wounds. I applied pressure to the two worse bleeders. I had to hold him down a few times because he kept trying to get up. He was bleeding from his side, legs and arms. His right leg was obviously broken as it lay at an odd angle.”
Once Peeples got to the severely injured man, he immediately began life saving first aid.
"I did the best I could for him. I didn't have everything I needed because I was in my civilian vehicle but as soon as the medical emergency folks showed up, they gave me some stuff to work on him with," he said.
While Lt. Colonel Peeples never expected to see all of this, he says his combat lifesaving training and service in Iraq, paid off. Peeples says while he's seen a lot in his days, he will never forget this.
For his actions that day Peeples received the S.C. Medal of Valor,June 19, 2010. The citation for his medal read:
For extraordinary heroism on 22 Sep 2009, after witnessing first-hand a locomotive hitting and completely destroying a tractor trailer, Lt. Col. Peeples did not hesitate to act. Without thought of his own safety, Lt. Col. Peeples rushed to the scene of the horrific accident. Disregarding the danger of explosion, Lt. Col. Peeples crossed over the railroad tracks and the train. He then found the seriously injured driver in the wreckage and immediately began life-saving first aid. His lack of hesitation and skillful applications of first aid undoubtedly saved the life of the driver. His professionalism and dedication to duty are in keeping with the finest traditions of the Army and reflect great credit upon himself, the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, and the South Carolina Army National Guard.
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2010 15:55 |
| Story ID: | 52259 |
| Location: | CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 286 |
| Downloads: | 259 |
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