Plymouth,PA : Montgomery County DA honors pair who saved victims of fiery Lower Merion crash on may, Friday 19th 2017

Described as “heroes in the truest sense of the word,” two civilians received commendations recently from Montgomery County’s top law enforcer for saving a woman and her baby trapped inside a burning car in Lower Merion.

Ryan Porto, of Havertown, and Rachel Attebery, of Philadelphia, were presented commendations by District Attorney Kevin R. Steele during a recent ceremony at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Campus in Plymouth Township.

“These two civilians are heroes in the truest sense of the word. After seeing a four-car crash in the Penn Wynne section of Lower Merion Township, they stopped their car to help, and quickly noticed that one car had extensive damage and had caught fire, and there was a woman and her infant child trapped inside the burning car,” Steele explained to the 200 spectators who attended the commendation ceremony.

The 6:30 a.m. Nov. 16, 2016, crash occurred on Haverford Avenue near Argyle Road, according to authorities.Porto and Attebery tried to open the vehicle’s doors but all of the doors were locked, Steele said.

“Mr. Porto reached through the driver’s side window and managed to unlock the doors and remove the trapped driver while at the same time Ms. Attebery opened the back door to the vehicle and got the baby out of the car just as it became engulfed in flames,” Steele described the dramatic rescue. “Both of these two stayed with the mother and child comforting them until emergency help arrived.”

A crowd of police officers, detectives and other supporters proudly applauded as Steele distributed the commendations and plaques to Porto and Attebery, recognizing their bravery and public service. The commendations were two of 34 that Steele distributed, during the district attorney’s annual commendation ceremony, to law enforcers and civilians to honor them for “their extraordinary efforts and exemplary work in protecting and serving county residents.”

It’s not the first time that the pair was honored.

Earlier this month, Lower Merion officials recognized Porto and Attebery for their bravery, presenting each of them with a citizen award.

Source :
Montgomery County DA honors pair who saved victims of fiery Lower Merion crash