NC man was part of daring bus crash rescue in Korean Demilitarized Zone, USAF says
A North Carolina man 7,000 miles from home is being lauded by the U.S. military for rushing to help when a tour bus flipped and began sliding down a steep incline in the volatile Korean Demilitarized Zone.
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Manteo native Arturo Lara is a specialist with the Army’s 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, and he was part of an off-duty tour group when they witnessed the crash, the U.S. Air Force said in an Aug. 5 news release.
It involved another tour bus that went out of control while struggling up a steep incline in Paju, about 20 miles northwest of Seoul in the Republic of Korea.
“I watched the bus come up, stop at the top, and then begin barreling down the hill and turn over onto its left side,” Lara said in the news release.
“At that moment, I just shot up and rushed to the door of our bus. I wasn’t really thinking, it was just a natural reaction. All I knew was that we needed to get people out of the bus.”
There was a very real chance the bus could continue to slide, but Lara and four other soldiers and airmen rushed to help as the scene descended into chaos.
They soon learned the primary exit door on the flipped bus was blocked, trapping 21 people inside.
“Forced to find an alternative means to enter the vehicle, they discovered part of the windshield was cracked. After bending the still active windshield wipers out of the way and carefully straddling a drainage ditch, they widened the opening enough to climb inside, ignoring cuts they received from the broken glass,” the Air Force said.
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“The group of service members began their assessment of injuries and extracting individuals from the vehicle. Working their way from the front of the bus toward the back, they assisted the bus driver before helping shocked and disoriented passengers through the windshield. At one point, a father asked responders to help rescue his blind daughter, who was carried out.”
Emergency services eventually arrived, allowing the service members to stand down, officials said.
Lara says he has been “quite humbled” by the attention the June incident has garnered.
In addition to Lara, the rescuers included U.S. Air Force Maj. Tessa Land, Chief Master Sgt. Brandon Abbott, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Alexander Martin and Spc. Karan Sharma, officials said.
“Their actions demonstrated that the values instilled through training, service before self, readiness and commitment to others, do not end when the duty day is over,” Air Force officials said.
“Instead, they remain with service members wherever they go, ready to make a difference when it matters most.”
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a 160-mile-long strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea. “The zone has been protected from human disturbance for more than seven decades and has unintentionally become a haven for wildlife, making it a popular destination for nature lovers,” according to Visit Korea.
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