Lifesaver honored

Young police officers dragged man out of burning car

Proud lifesavers: Anita Blauensteiner and Stefan Strohmaier received the "Golden Medal on a Red Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria" from Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.(Bild: BMI(C)MAKOWECZ)

In February, Anita Blauensteiner and Stefan Strohmaier unexpectedly became lifesavers during a patrol on the A2. The two young police officers have now been honored with the Lifesaver Medal.

When something very special happens, you often don't realize it until later. That was the case for Anita Blauensteiner on February 22 of this year. The 29-year-old police officer was on patrol with her colleague Stefan Strohmaier (29) on the A 2 in the direction of Vienna when she suddenly noticed a bus on the hard shoulder near Seiersberg. The duo stopped - people were already running out of the bus towards the uniformed officers and shouting: "Fire! Fire! Fire!"

"My colleague got the fire extinguisher from the patrol car and we ran to the burning car together," says Blauensteiner, describing the dramatic minutes. "He was able to contain the flames together with a Hungarian passenger. But then we noticed that there was still an unconscious man in the car," says Blauensteiner.

Helped despite danger to life
It was the driver of the car, who was lying overturned on the passenger seat. "The side window was broken, so we were able to unlock the door from the inside and pull the man out of the car together." In doing so, the two police officers put their own lives in considerable danger, as there was a lot of smoke. The team then put the man in the recovery position.

"It wasn't until I got back to the station that I realized this wasn't an everyday operation," says Blauensteiner, who was awarded the Lifesaving Medal by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner yesterday. "It's a great honor and fills me with pride!"