MADISONVILLE, La. -- A Louisiana State Trooper from Madisonville is one of 20 people to receive a Carnegie Medal for extraordinary heroism for his rescue of two people from a burning vehicle following a crash on the Causeway in 2016.
Steven Paulus received the award, from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. The medal 'is awarded throughout the United States and Canada to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others."
According to the Carnegie documents, Paulus was on duty and crossing the Causeway when he saw a pickup truck that was stalled on a bridge that had been struck by another vehicle and caught fire.
Paulus, 43, approached the vehicle and tried to open the driver's side door, but it was jammed shut. There were 3-foot flames from the wreckage just behind the cab of the pickup, but Paulus continued his rescue attempt. He forced open the door and helped removed Alecia K. Lee from the vehicle. He then extended his body across the front seat and grabbed 18-year-old Kala Perkins, pulled her across the driver's seat and away from the pickup.
Moments later, the vehicle was engulfed in flames.
"There was literally a wall of smoke in the right hand lane," said Shane Ward, who witnessed Paulus' heroic actions. "I quickly saw him come out and it was because he was grabbing the door, ripping it off and going back in.
Paulus handed Lee over to Ward, and then dashed back to get Perkins.
"I look over my shoulder and he's gone again into the smoke," Ward said. "It's because he had crossed over the driver's seat to grab the passenger, who couldn't get out because the vehicle was pinned against the right side of the wall."
Ward said about two minutes later the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames.
