A task force from Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Team Area 19 (Ho Chi Minh City) traveled to Dak Lak on 25/11 to assist flood victims. Arriving at Quyt Pass on National Highway 1 in Xuan Tho commune, the team stopped, activated warning signals, and waited for local guides to the deeply affected areas.

Lance Corporal Nguyen Mai Thi, 21, was positioned behind the vehicle to observe and warn approaching traffic. He then spotted a container truck descending the slope at high speed, swerving past several motorbikes, its driver appearing to have lost control.

A female student on a motorbike was directly in the path of the speeding container truck, oblivious to the danger. Thi immediately darted from his spot, pulling the girl towards the median strip. Just one to two seconds later, the container truck struck the side of the student's motorbike.

"The girl didn't see the truck coming from behind, so I just ran as fast as I could to pull her away," Thi recounted.

Following the impact, the container truck veered onto the sidewalk, knocking down an electrical pole and striking Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quanh Minh, the task force commander. The truck only halted after skidding an additional 100 m. Thi escorted the student to the roadside to reassure her, then assisted his teammates in rushing Lieutenant Colonel Minh for emergency treatment.

Lance Corporal Thi stated that he joined the fire department after graduating from high school. Two years of training helped him develop quick reflexes for emergency situations. "When I saw the immediate danger, I only thought about saving the person quickly," he said.

Moved by his life-saving act, female student Thu Tram wrote a thank-you letter to the unit. "If not for Thi, I don't know if I would still be alive today," Tram shared.

Dinh Van