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Anthony Abraham, a 34-year-old crane driver, barely managed to get out of the
way of falling steel. Turning around, he could hardly believe the horrible scene
that lay before him. Girders were piled on top of the crane in a haphazard
fashion, like gigantic pick up sticks. All he could see of the machine was its
rear wheels and a section of what had been the cab. Abraham raced to the
cab, shouting his friend George Burns' name. As he reached the site, he could
see blood oozing out of the sides of the cab. By then, three other iron workers
had reached the scene of the carnage. One of them yelled, 'George, can you hear
me?' Over the din of the diesel engine, a strained voice responded.
'I'm not sure if you can get me out of here, guys,' came George's voice.
George could hardly move. The falling steel had crumpled his 4 by 6 foot cab
into a crushed tin can. Although he was still in an upright sitting position in
the operator's seat, the space had been reduced to that of a filing cabinet. He
couldn't even brush away glass fragments from his eyes, as his arms were pinned
down along with his chest and legs.
Steel fragments pressed down on his neck, dangerously close to his jugular.
If the wreckage shifted he could be decapitated. Despite his unfortunate
situation, George remembered the radio in his cab. He managed to flip the mike
switch and asked, 'Is there anyone else hurt?' Anthony replied that that
everyone was fine and that they'd have him out soon, although George didn't
really see how.
Anthony, of course, had lied, as two others had died and the 20 firemen who
had arrived were equally stumped as to how to get George out. Fire chief Robert
Garr decided that the only way to get George out without crushing him was to cut
away at the wreckage piece by piece. They would punch a hole using oxyacetylene
torches and power saws.
It was a dangerous plan that could kill George and the other rescuers as
well. Soon, firemen had cut away a piece of the cab's roof to reveal a bloodied
George below. However, they soon realised that it would be impossible to free
him by pulling him out, as his legs had been trapped by a mass of tangled pedals
and wires. By then, another problem had set in. The temperature was falling and
the cold made rescue work much more crucial.
Firemen got below the cab and frantically cut away metal to free George's
legs. In the meantime, his wife and two grown sons had reached the scene to give
George moral support and courage as he weakened due to his injuries. A trauma
team fed him warmed saline through a drip to stabilise his body temperature.
After two more hours of frantic cutting, firefighters pulled George Burns out
of the wreckage. Doctors at Nottinghill Hospital had to treat him quickly for
severe hypothermia due to the cold and eventually had no choice but to amputate
his severely damaged left foot. However, a year later, the indomitable George
climbed back into the cab of his crane, fitted with a prosthesis, to lift steel. |
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6. |
Based on the passage given,
write a summary of :
* the rescue, and
* the ways in which George
Burns demonstrated his courage throughout the ordeal
Your summary must not be
longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below
After escaping the crash,
Anthony raced to the wreckage and ... |
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6. |
After escaping the crash,
Anthony raced to the wreckage and found the crushed cab. He found George
trapped in the cab of the crane, badly injured and steel fragments
pressing on his neck. Still, Gorge remained strong and indomitable.
Firemen quickly cut away at the cab and punched a hole using
oxyacetylene torches and power saws. However, they couldn't pull him out
as his legs were trapped. A his family gave him moral support, rescuers
fed him warm saline through a drip to stabilise his body temperature due
to freezing temperatures. After two hours, firefighters pulled George
Burns out. Doctors treated him for severe hypothermia and had to
amputate his left foot. However, George returned to work a a crane
driver, with a prosthesis, one year later. (127 words) |
