A Look Back -- Jerry Person

Jerry Person

Acts of heroism are anything but rare to the residents of Huntington

Beach and this week we will look at how a father and son, along with a

California Highway patrolman, risked a blazing inferno to save the life

of a young sailor.

Fifty years ago Pacific Coast Highway did not have the heavy traffic

at night like we have today. In fact, it was not unusual to see the

highway deserted of late night traffic. On Oct. 8, 1052, Loys R. Mills

was driving along our coast highway in a large lumber truck. The road was

dark as pitch and just after 10 p.m. Although he didn’t know it, the next

few minutes would alter four lives forever.

A young sailor, Roy R. Delane, from San Diego was traveling through

our town on the same coast highway. Delane was on leave from his ship the

USS Bremerton. As he neared 15th Street on Pacific Coast Highway,

Delane’s car for some reason crashed into Mills’ lumber truck. The

accident sent lumber in all directions on the highway and if it had been

daytime more serious injuries could have resulted. California Highway

Patrolman Lloyd Groover was patrolling the highway from Seal Beach to

Huntington Beach south, and as he neared 18th Street he heard the sounds

of a crash just ahead of him. So he stepped on the gas to get to the

scene. Huntington Beach residents John Wigmore and his son John Jr. also

heard the crash and hurried over to help.

When Groover and the Wigmores arrived at the scene they found lumber

strewn all over the ground. They spotted what was left of Delane’s car, a

mass of bent steel with smoke pouring out from its insides. They could

barely see the car’s driver because of the smoke coming from under the

car’s dashboard. The three men found Delane conscious, praying and

pinned under the steering wheel. That’s when they noticed the strong

smell of gasoline coming from the car. Under the beam of Groover’s

headlights they could see gasoline running out from under Delane’s car

and unto the road. Without a thought to their safety the three men began

the rescue of a stranger from a burning car. Should a spark from the

flames have caught the gasoline below then all would be burned to death.

Patrolman Groover tried to open the driver’s door but found it was

jammed. He went around to the passenger side and was able to open that

door. Gasoline continued to pour out as the seconds passed turning into

minutes. They found that Delane had two broken legs as they attempted his

rescue. As the men’s hearts beat faster another problem developed.

Delane’s feet were wedged between the floorboards of the bent car. The

driver kept pleading to leave him and save themselves. The heat was

becoming unbearable but the three continued without a second thought of

danger. Groover cut the laces of Delane’s right shoe and pulled his foot

out. But his left foot was so wedged in that the men had to cut Delane’s

shoe apart to get his foot out. All this time Delane continued telling

the men to get back to safety. The flames continued, but the gasoline

still didn’t catch fire. The air around the men was getting hotter and

hotter, but at last they were able to pull Delane from the fiery furnace

that had once been his car.

Gasoline was now saturated over about 20 feet of pavement under the

car and was spreading out. By now the Huntington Beach Fire Department

had arrived at the scene and it was quick work for them to put out the

fire and to keep the gasoline from catching fire. Delane’s prayers were

answered that night and all four men cheated death in those few heroic

minutes, that must have seemed like a lifetime. Mills and Groover

returned to their work. Delane was transported to the Naval hospital in

Long Beach where he recovered from two broken legs and a broken hip. As

for Wigmore and his son, Huntington Beach awoke the next morning to find

it had two new heroes.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.