Key Points 

• Driving home from his son's baseball game, Garyville refinery Laboratory Technician Ross Falgoust jumped into action after encountering a two-car crash in St. James Parish, Louisiana.
• Working alongside another Good Samaritan, Falgoust helped pull nine people from two burning cars before emergency responders arrived.
• The St. James Parish Sheriff's Office later honored Falgoust for his “exceptional bravery" and "selfless acts of courage."

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When Ross Falgoust saw flames shooting from a car on Louisiana Highway 3213, leading to the Veterans Memorial Bridge in St. James Parish, he didn't hesitate. He got out of his truck and ran toward the fire, not knowing what he might find.

"I couldn't live with myself if I knew somebody was in that vehicle and I had a chance to do something," Falgoust said. "If it was my family, I'd want somebody to try to help them."

The moment unfolded March 7, as Falgoust, a laboratory technician at Marathon Petroleum's Garyville refinery, was driving home from his son's baseball game with his wife and parents. They came upon a devastating two-car crash, with one vehicle already engulfed in flames.

"I told my wife and my parents I was going to see if anybody was in the vehicle," he said.

A Race to Help

Five people were inside the first car. As flames spread, Falgoust forced open a jammed door, broke a window and pulled people out one by one. Then a tire exploded, followed moments later by another. Just as he thought everyone was out, someone yelled that another person was still inside.

“I jumped in there, grabbed him and pulled him out,” Falgoust recalled. “He was caught in the seat belt. I don’t know how I did it, but I ended up ripping the seat belt out.”

By then, the flames had spread inside the car.

 “His actions that evening speak volumes about his character and willingness to put others before himself." 

“I realized the vehicle could blow at any minute,” he said. “We started getting everybody as far away from the vehicle as possible.”

Moments later, Falgoust noticed the fire moving toward the second car as a mother called out that her children were still inside. Without hesitation, he ran back toward the danger.

Working alongside another Good Samaritan, Falgoust helped pull the remaining passengers from the second vehicle. By the time emergency responders arrived, the two men had helped get all nine people out of the wrecked cars.

Putting Others First

Just days earlier, Falgoust had returned to work after spending nearly six months recovering from shoulder surgery, but as this father of three rushed to help others, his own well-being was the last thing on his mind.

"That was the least of my worries," he said. "I was thinking about everybody else's safety.

And recognition was just as far from his mind as he quietly left the crash site with his family, never expecting anyone to know what he had done.

"I was just glad I could be there to help," Falgoust said. "I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I wanted to do as much as I could."

Others felt differently.

The St. James Parish Sheriff's Office later honored Falgoust with a plaque recognizing his "selfless acts of courage."

"I thank Mr. Ross Falgoust for his exceptional bravery while helping others in need, no matter the circumstances or dangers," Sheriff Claude J. Louis Jr. said. "His actions that evening speak volumes about his character and willingness to put others before himself."

Those who know Falgoust at the refinery say the recognition reflects the person they've known for years.

“What Ross did that evening was an incredible act of bravery, and everyone at the refinery is incredibly proud of him,” said Holly Jackson, Vice President of Refining at the Garyville refinery. “While what happened that night was extraordinary, the character he displayed was not surprising to those who know him. He reflects the very best of Marathon Petroleum and our Core Values.”

A Lasting Impact

Now, every drive to the Garyville refinery takes Falgoust across the same bridge, where he thinks about the children, the parents and the families whose lives were forever changed that night. Although Falgoust doesn't have social media, one of the mothers involved in the crash later reached out to his wife on Facebook with a heartfelt message of gratitude.

“She shared how much it meant to her and her family that I stepped in to help,” Falgoust said. “Hearing that from her really meant a lot. Her words are something I’ll carry with me forever.”