Man honored for rescuing girl from crash

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A man who risked his life to save a three-year-old girl, after a deadly crash, was honored by the Chattanooga Fire Department.

It was a terrible scene back in February when an 18 wheeler hauling a tank full of acid collided with three vehicles and overturned on top of a pickup truck on Ochs Highway.

Mallory Baldschun was killed in the crash, her three-year-old daughter, who was in the car seat behind her, survived.

Van Anderson was in his house when he heard a loud explosion.

“I realized their was a car under it, the truck, and I could hear the child crying. So I just went down and luckily I was where I could get her out and bring her back to the street,” Anderson said.

He says he realized the dangers , but was just concentrating on the little girl.

“I didn’t have time to think a lot, I just knew that child was needing help. But I didn’t know if it was one or many down there,” Anderson said.

On Wednesday, Anderson was honored with a citizen achievement award from the Chattanooga Fire Department. Different people attended including the girl’s father. Firefighters who responded to the scene say they knew someone helped the child, but they didn’t find out who until days afterwards.

“It happens a lot in Chattanooga, it goes unheard of. We don’t know who did it. Nobody will tell us. So when we find out who did, it is great to be able to recognize them and give them an award for risking there life to go save someone else,” said Captain Robert Thompson, with the Chattanooga Fire Department.

While Anderson was honored to receive the award, he says it’s the firefighters who deserve the recognition.

“They are the true heroes. They deal with this everyday,” he said.

The Chattanooga Fire Department Chief Phil Hyman says it is very rare that they give out this type of award.