News

Actions

Unexpected friendship: Man saves stranger from burning car wreck

Posted at 8:46 PM, Feb 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-11 12:11:36-05

Two men have formed an unexpected friendship, a bond that won't ever be broken - quite by accident. 

On January 29, Antonio Wainwright was on I-90 when a tow truck stopped next to a car on the berm in his lane. He couldn't stop, so his car slid sideways into the back of the truck. 

The next thing he heard was that his car was on fire. Wainwright managed to open the door, falling partway out of the car. He couldn't move because his right ankle was shattered. 

That's when Sean Lawson happened to be in the right place at the right time, and saved his life. 

Lawson, a MetroHealth X-Ray technician on the way home from work, saw the brake lights and flashers of a tow truck and after seeing the burning car, pulled over. Lawson pulled Wainwright from his burning car, right before it was engulfed in flames. 

On Friday, President and CEO of the MetroHealth system, Dr. Akram Boutros awarded Lawson with a Presidential Challenge Coin - given out rarely - and only to those whose actions represent the highest values in caring for others.