Fellow driver pulled man from burning truck

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June 17, 2009

Anonymous The Press Republican Wed Jun 17, 2009, 06:33 PM EDT

By LOIS CLERMONT

News Editor

and LUCAS BLAISE

Contributing Writer

CHATEAUGAY — Annie Raville says her brother-in-law owes his life to a co-worker.

Raynaldo Cruz, 52, of Chateaugay is in critical condition in Clark Burn Unit of Syracuse University.

But Raville says he would be dead if it weren’t for Rick Favreau.

Cruz was driving a Mack truck on Interstate 87 in Plattsburgh Monday afternoon, coming from a site where the company he works for, Dick Glode Construction, has a job.

Favreau, who lives in West Chazy and works for the same company, was following in another vehicle.

The tire on Cruz’s truck blew, sending the dump truck careening into the woods, where it burst on fire.

Raville said Cruz was semi-conscious and trying to get free of the wreckage.

“He probably would have burned alive,” she said, if it hadn’t been for Favreau, who dragged Cruz out.

Favreau himself was injured in the rescue attempt, although not as seriously as Cruz, who was still in critical condition Wednesday with “quite extensive burns,” Raville said.

Her sister, Lisa Cruz, and mother, Anne Purdy of Malone, are at the hospital in Syracuse. The Cruzes have two teenage girls, Aurela and Danielle.

“We wanted to recognize Rick Favreau on behalf of our family,” said Raville, who is from North Bangor. “He risked his life to save my brother-in-law.”

Favreau doesn’t see himself as a hero.

“Anybody in my situation would have done the same thing. I wasn’t thinking. It was just instincts. Even after I heard the explosion, I hesitated a second. Then, I just went in.”

Favreau was two trucks behind Cruz on the Northway as they were driving back to the quarry in Plattsburgh.

“I saw the fender going flying off,” he recalled Wednesday.

Once Cruz’s truck went off the road, Favreau checked his mirror, turned on his blinker and pulled off.

He tried the driver’s side door of Cruz’s truck but had to go around to the other side.

“By the time I got to the other side, there was smoke just rolling out the windows,” Favreau said. “So I just grabbed a hold of him.”

He thinks Cruz would have fared OK without him, even though he was hurt, had difficulty breathing and couldn’t see.

“He would have got himself out, had I been there or not. Ray’s a fighter. I learned that that day,” Favreau said. “And he’s definitely a nice guy.”