AVONDALE, Ariz. — A Phoenix man who died in 2021 at an Avondale truck wash after attempting to save a coworker who passed out inside a tanker trailer containing chemicals has been posthumously given a medal.
Roberto Longoria, 42, passed away on Aug. 29, 2021, after he was exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas during a workplace incident at Danny’s Truck Wash, located near 99th Avenue and McDowell Road.
Another employee, Jose Perez, reportedly got inside the tanker trailer first to fix a drainage issue. After Longoria noticed Perez was unconscious, he grabbed a respirator, told the driver to call 911, and entered the trailer.
Longoria soon fell unconscious too and both men had to be removed from the trailer by firefighters. Neither of them survived.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission has recently selected Longoria as one of the 15 civilians who will receive the organization's hero medal. Each medal recipient or their surviving family will be awarded a financial grant.
The medals are awarded to U.S. and Canadian citizens who enter "extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others," according to the commission.
More information about Carnegie's heroes can be found here.
*Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.*
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