Hero Trash Collector Rescues Elderly from Wildfire
posted by Chip Nelson - Nov 13, 2018
A 93-year-old woman is safe and sound after being rescued from the raging wildfires in Northern California, and her knight in shining armor didn't ride in on a white horse. He rode in on a garbage truck.
Margaret Newsum of Magalia, California, was home alone because her caregiver had left for the day. She was standing outside on her porch when a garbage truck rolled up.
Dane Ray Cumming, a sanitation worker, was told by his supervisor to cut his route short and evacuate, but he kept going because he knew there were older people on his route.
He got out of the truck at Margaret's house and told her she had to evacuate. He tried to call her caregiver but couldn't get through. So Dane went into superhero mode. He picked her up and loaded her into the cab of his truck, buckled her in and drove off.
Dane drove her about four hours away to a safe place and the two used the time in the truck to chat and bond. Margaret told him her incredible life story, from witnessing the attack on Pearl Harbor to beating cancer three times, singing backup for Frank Sinatra, and surviving a hang-gliding accident at the age of 70.
Dane says he was speechless and called it "the best conversation I've had in a truck ever."
By the way, the fire shifted and never reached Margaret's house. (KCRA-TV)