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US troops save lives of S. Koreans in auto accident
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- Two U.S. service members helped save several South Koreans from a potential explosion in the southern city of Busan on Tuesday when six vehicles, including a truck carrying large fuel cans, crashed on a local street, officials from the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said.
Justin Simons, a U.S. Navy reservist from St. Louis, and Army PFC Cory Graham from the 25th Transportation Battalion stationed in the southern city of Daegu were the first to rush to the accident site to pull the injured drivers out of the vehicles, they said.
"Graham and Simons helped the driver (of the truck) escape from the vehicle because the engine was smoking and they feared a fire," the USFK said in a press release. Simons, a petty officer, is here for a week-long joint exercise of U.S. and South Korean forces, which began Monday.
The two, who work at a joint reception center in Jinhae, a city just west of Busan, were on their way to the Busan train station, apparently to pick up arriving U.S. soldiers, according to USFK officials.
At least three people were seriously injured and were later taken to a nearby hospital after the U.S. service members called the 119 rescue center with the help of a Korean passerby working as an interpreter, they said.
"They also provided emergency medical treatment until an ambulance arrived. Graham used his undershirt and applied pressure to help stop bleeding on one victim," the USFK said.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are currently stationed in Korea as a deterrent against possible aggression from North Korea. The joint U.S.-South Korea exercise, Ulchi Freedom Guardian, which involves some 60,000 South Korean and 10,000 U.S. soldiers, will end Friday.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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