By Lillie Davidson
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
CRESSON, Texas — Cresson volunteer firefighter Richard Ward was the first person to arrive at the scene of the crash, three minutes and 53 seconds after receiving the dispatch on Labor Day evening.
Debris and human remains were scattered across the roadway. One vehicle was in flames.
| MORE: How to create a first responder recognition program
Seventy-five seconds later, Ward pulled the driver out of the burning vehicle. Then he started triaging other victims and calling for additional crews to respond.
For his actions on the night of the crash, Ward was honored Saturday with the Chisholm Trail 100 Club’s Lifesaver Award.
The club, founded in 2009, provides $80,000 benefits to every first responder in its service area in Johnson, Somervell and Parker counties, member Tom Cowan said.
The club started presenting Lifesaver Awards in 2022 to “individuals who unquestionably saved the life of another person … who was in real and imminent danger of dying,” Cowan said.
Ward’s nomination for the honor was approved unanimously, Fire Chief Ron Becker said.
Four people were killed, and four others injured in the Sept. 1 crash, Cowan said. The driver, Ward pulled from the burning vehicle survived, and is still in the hospital.
Ward said he doesn’t remember much of the work he did that night.
When he arrived on scene, his years of training took over. Ward got involved with firefighting at age 16 and has been at it ever since.
“I went up there, I saw what I saw, and I just kinda went to work,” Ward said. Eventually, he turned around and Becker was there.
When Ward reviewed time logs of the incident, he realized how long he had been working the scene on his own before reinforcements arrived, he said.
“I’m one that likes to put recognition where it’s due,” Ward said. He and Chief Becker both “pass the recognition down” to other firefighters, and to a group of bystanders who jumped in to help.
Ward credits the witnesses’ help with allowing him to provide aid so quickly.
With everything that was going on at the scene, Ward said, he never got the Good Samaritans’ names; one was a nurse.
“Without their help, this would’ve been a completely different scenario,” Ward said.
If the bystanders come forward, Becker said in an email, they also deserve commendation.
“The most precious gift a person can receive is the gift of time with which to live their life,” Cowan said as he presented the fire department with the Lifesaver Clock trophy. “Operations Chief Richard Ward was able to give the gift of time back to the individual and the surviving families.”
©2025 Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Visit star-telegram.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
