Roadside inferno 火海救援_美文_双语阅读-查字典英语网

Roadside inferno 火海救援

"It was like acannon（大炮）blast," says Steve. "Thepercussive（敲击的，冲击的）force hurt my chest. It just picked me up and blew me back." Fortunately, the explosion was aimed skyward.

Steve got up andpeeled off（剥去，脱掉）what was left of Ronnie'ssmoldering（闷烧，阴燃）jeans and held his hand while they waited for the ambulance, as Kim raced up and down the slope, grabbing wet towels and a blanket.

Both Steve and Ronnie paid a price for risking their lives for strangers. Ronnie spent two months in the hospital and receivedskin grafts（植皮手术）on both of his legs. He now wears compressiongarments（服装，衣着）for his scars and gets physical therapy twice a week. "If Steve hadn't done what he did, I probably would have beentoast（烘，烤）," he says. Steve suffered smoke inhalation and minor burns, andshrapnel（弹片）from the explosion broke a tooth.

In February, the Coopers received a Hero of the Highway award from the Open Road Foundation for rescuing an injured driver. Steve insists Ronnie is the real hero: "If he hadn't gone into the ditch, he would have hit that van. It was his decision to drive off the road."