In an instant, a summer Sunday trip to the scenic Marilla Reservoir turned into a scene with action film-like drama.
A sudden pickup truck crash prompted Olean, N.Y., residents Becky and Tom Simsick to pull Joshua Lightner of Bradford from the truck, saving him from the blaze that consumed it minutes later.
The Simsicks have been recognized for their bravery. The New York State Senate presented the couple with Liberty Medals, the Senate’s highest recognition that it can give, Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean, N.Y., announced on Tuesday.
Young presented the Simsicks with Liberty Medals and New York State Senate Resolutions during a ceremony in her district office in Olean. Lightner and his mother, Christa Tomey, were in attendance and expressed their gratitude to the pair.
“Tom and Becky are an example to us all and they embody the reason the Liberty Medal was created,” Young said. “I was honored to be able to present them with their medals. It’s everyday heroes like the Simsicks who make our community such a wonderful place to live and raise a family.”
A press release from Young’s office explained, “Becky and Tom Simsick were preparing to kayak at the Marilla Reservoir in Bradford, Pennsylvania, when a pickup truck struck a nearby tree and began leaking gasoline.
“Running to the truck, they found the driver, Joshua Lightner of Bradford, injured and unconscious,” the release continued. “With the engine smoking and the smell of gasoline rising around them, the Simsicks pulled Mr. Lightner from his truck and carried him to safety. Moments later the truck burst into flames.”
Bradford Township Police reported at the time that at 10:45 a.m. Aug. 13, a 2013 Ford F-150 pickup driven by Lightner, then 26, was traveling west, when it traveling into the eastbound lane and off the south berm for about 50 feet before striking a tree.
Relating the crash to an Era reporter a few days after it happened, the Simsicks explained they had just pulled onto the berm near the reservoir, when the truck careened past their parked vehicle in the opposite direction and crashed into a tree.
They were unable to call for help from a cell phone due to the lack of cell signal by a reservoir, so another bystander was drafted to go down the road to find a phone to call 9-1-1.
Aware of smoke coming from the engine and leaking gasoline, Becky Simsick knew it was urgent to get Lightner out. Tom Simsick figured out how to unlock the door, and the couple pulled Lightner out to safety.
Lightner was transported to Bradford Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.
“Risking their own lives, Becky and Tom rushed to the aid of a complete stranger,” Young said. “Firefighters arriving on the scene right after the rescue found the truck fully engulfed in flames. Police and firefighters said that if they had not acted when they did, Mr. Lightner could have died or been severely injured.”
The New York State Liberty Medal was established in 2014 to honor individuals for exceptional, heroic or humanitarian acts.
