WINNIPEG, Man. – Harvey Harder, the Winnipeg trucker who was pulled from his burning rig moments before it exploded into flames, held a news conference on July 25, to thank his rescuers.

Harder suffered only a small gash to his head, but he admits he’s lucky to be alive and owes his life to the four men who pulled him from the wreck.

“I just consider myself very lucky the right people were there at that time,” says Harder, who remembers little of what happened before the accident. Police say the diabetic lost consciousness before the accident, but still aren’t sure why. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are hailing the four men as heroes – one of whom is also a trucker – after they risked their lives to free the 61-year-old Harder.

“Given the intensity of the heat, the flames and all that smoke, what those men did was nothing short of heroic,” RCMP Sgt. Steve Saunders told local media. “Actually, heroic is an understatement.”

Royce Yackel, gravel trucker William Trojanowski, Dan Gagnon and Albert Bernshine were the rescuers, as they worked together to remove an unconscious Harder from his rig. n