It was Friday night, and Larry and Donna Hicks could be seen on the six o'clock news in their lakefront home in Palos Verdes Estates outside Troy, Alabama. Hicks was a 52-year-old retired Sergeant Major with the Marines, now working as a maintenance enforcement officer for the state of Alabama. He had an hour earlier arrived from work half, and he and Donna had to go out to cast a film, but decided against it.
The TV news was just beginning when she looked out the window and saw a small plane the coast of Palos Verdes Lake fly down.
"I wonder if he knows about the power lines," Larry said as the plane suddenly shuddered to a stop, rolled over, and just headed down into the lake. Hicks was already running through the back door when the plane hit the water, cried behind his wife: "Call 911 I'll see if I can help the pilots!."
had left Luckily Larry brother Wayne, a johnboat 14-foot aluminum with an electric trolling motor, on the lake in preparation for bass fishing that day, had not displayed. Donna made the call to 911, and ran to see the johnboat, headed in the direction of the Air-Cam, which was about 100 meters off the coast out into the time Larry commandeering.
years earlier when Hicks had been stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan, he had spent two-and-a-half months, part-time, in an intense search and rescue program. A main got into him because he thought of Hicks, it would be good, because he was building muscular and in weight. The training was specifically directed rescue pilots who had gone down in water in fixed-wing or rotary wing aircraft. Hicks learned how to get to pilots of aircraft that had crashed head. However, he remained in the telecommunications unit, and never had the opportunity to use his training.
The engine of the Air-Cam was hot when it hit Palos Verdes lake, and the aircraft was to smoke in the water. High octane aviation fuel from a ruptured fuel tank surface make greasy pattern hovering over. The rear half of the aircraft and a broken wing sticking out of the water. Hicks got out of the boat on the wing and tethered to a line level fly away, to keep the boat. The heavy smell of gas attacked his nose. It was only later that he thought about the danger of blowing up plane.
The water was turbid, and Hicks had trouble getting his bearings under water. The plane was in the middle of an underwater crashed "Stumpf Field," but missed fortunately had to hit any trees. The first time down, Hicks ran out of air and was forced back to the surface without locating the pilot. The second time, he felt the back of the neck of the people under his hand. After another trip to the surface, he took a deep breath, and rose for a third time.
military training Larry - the repetitive drills of what second nature to do until it was - took over: "Pilot Locate Pilot Extract ..." felt Hicks for the pilot of the safety belt; Fortunately, it was that he recognized by the sense of his training in the military. He undid the belt, and the pilot hovered in his arms. Hicks swam to the surface, to go with him the man. The pilot had glue bone through his legs, and his feet were turned in the wrong direction.
The man was bleeding through the nose and mouth, and was no longer breathing. He had drowned. The Troy police had already arrived on the shores of the lake. Larry called the officials: "He's not breathing," and he heard a police officer say to another: ". He is dead"
Hicks Men dragged against the wing, jutting over the water and put a modified Heimlich maneuver under his ribs and pulled the water out of his lungs to get started then changed CPR. The inert figure coughed water and blood, then began to breathe on the fifth breath. "I have to breathe it back," Hicks shouted to the rescue unit on the shore.
Hicks took the doors of the aircraft with the left hand on the back inside the water, the pilot on his chest with his right arm resting his head afloat. He felt a stinging sensation in the aviation fuel, which deteriorated until he was in great pain. He later discovered, the top layer of his skin was burned.
The rescue equipment brought an additional boat, on the board put the pilot and swim him shore. Larry tries to follow the four members of the rescue team, as they went out of the lake, but his legs gave way. He and the pilot were the Troy transported hospital.
While Hicks was for gasoline burns on his torso treated, he heard the helicopters arrive to transport the pilot to the University of Alabama Medical Center in Birmingham can. After a decontamination shower Hicks was released.
word was out almost immediately that a light plane had crashed, controlled by celebrity Jack Roush, NASCAR and Winston Cup car owner since 1988. An airplane lovers, arranges friends of Roush for him had the Air-Cam to fly a special plane, built specifically for photography, as a birthday present.
Roush was first put on a respirator to work with a trauma team on him. He had water and gasoline inhaled and suffered closed head injuries, rib fractures, a collapsed lung, fractures to his left leg, and broken ankle. He does not remember the time of the accident until he woke up this weekend in the hospital.
Amazingly, six days after the accident, Roush was his business is performed by telephone from his hospital bed. On Sunday he had for Larry and Donna arranged by private jet to Birmingham, Alabama, will be flown to visit him.
Six weeks later Roush steered an airplane from his Michigan home and near Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware hobbling on crutches, to monitor its four-car Winston Cup team. Larry and Donna were at his side.
Larry Hicks has no doubt that a higher power at work in Jack Roush incredible rescue was. If the Air-Cam had made the high-voltage power lines in place of the support wires, as it did the plane would have gone up in flames. If it had fallen to the ground or against a tree collided in underwater stump field where he landed, Roush would have been killed instantly. When Larry and Donna had gone to a movie that night, as they had discussed, or simply have been in another part of the house, they had not seen the plane go down, and Jack Roush died. If Wayne had Hicks will not leave the johnboat ready, there would have been no salvation.
But all amazing Hicks was one of a small percentage of the population with the necessary expertise to rescue a pilot in an upside-down plane from a watery grave. And another thing was necessary to save Jack's life, which is that Hicks is a man of action who do not hesitate to put in danger to save someone else life.
Epilogue
Larry Hicks was the Carnegie Award for heroism from the Carnegie Foundation recognized with many awards as a result of his heroic rescue of Jack Roush, including Marine Corps Medal of Heroism, the Kiwanis international Robert P. Connally medal for heroism, and the society of the sons of the American Revolution medal for heroism. The story of the rescue appeared in People magazine, and Larry and Jack were on the cover of NASCAR Illustrated.
Larry shows very proud that he used in the United States Marine Corps Code, with honor, courage and commitment lived his country with selfless service.
