Accidental photo captures moment MS man saves couple from burning truck

Yahoo

27-05-2025

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Mississippi man says he accidentally captured a picture of the moment he pulled two people down an embankment away from a burning truck last month in Yalobusha County.
William 'Bubba' Eubanks said he must have hit something while calling the fire department for help, and later discovered the picture on his phone.
'I'm not a hero,' Eubanks said. 'I am an instructor at Northwest Community College. I only did what any common decent person would do.'
On April 21, Eubanks was driving to work along Highway 32 when he saw a car and a pickup truck collide in front of him. He said he was about six car lengths away and saw the car hit the truck broadside and the car burst into flames.
He slammed on his brakes, jumped out of his vehicle, and ran to the couple in the truck without even thinking about it. He said the driver of the car was ejected in the crash.
'I asked the man and woman if they were okay. They both answered, and I saw the kid's feet lying at the end of the car, so I ran over and checked for a pulse, but I found nothing.'
He said he was able to help the older man out of the truck, but the woman was still trapped inside. By this time, the hood of the pickup was starting to burn.
Eubanks said he ran back to his truck, found something to pry the door open, and got the women out.
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'She kept saying her legs were gone. I told her it was gonna hurt and yanked her two to three times until her feet came loose. I pulled her down the embankment around 20 yards because both cars were on fire,' Eubanks said. 'I had the man sit down and asked how much gas he had. He said almost a half tank, so I told her to hang on, this is gonna hurt, and pulled her another ten yards or so through mud in case the truck blew up.'
According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Christian Cannimore, 22, of Clarksdale, was killed in the crash.
Eubanks said the woman he pulled from the truck lost part of her right leg, broke her left ankle, and some ribs. The man is recovering from a punctured lung and two broken hands.
Eubanks said he has visited the pair since the accident and went to Cannimore's funeral.
'I stay in contact with his mom and aunt,' he said.
Shortly after the crash, the Yalobusha County Sheriff's Department publicly thanked Eubanks on Facebook for his quick and heroic actions that saved two lives.
Eubanks said there were others there that day, but no one did anything. He said he tells his children and students that it doesn't cost anything to be kind and help others.
'Again, I'm no hero, angel, or anything special. I'm just an ordinary guy who did what my parents have taught me and would expect me to do.'
The sheriff's department said Eubanks worked furiously to get both out of the truck they were trapped in as flames spread and didn't stop until they were both safe.
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