On October 24, 2012, FedEx courier Christian Diruzza received the FedEx Humanitarian Award in Memphis, Tenn., for his action to save lives after witnessing a severe traffic accident.
While making deliveries in Orville, OH, Diruzza witnessed a speeding car run a stop sign, strike a large boulder and then flipped over into its roof. One of the 3 occupants was thrown from the vehicle. Two other passengers were trapped inside. Moments later, the car burst into flames. Christian called 911 to report the accident and, disregarding his own safety, rushed to the vehicle to help. Christian’s bravery never faltered as he jeopardized his own life while dousing the fire with an extinguisher from his courier van. Christian pulled one person out of the automobile. Unfortunately, the other passenger in the car perished before emergency crew arrived.
The families of the men involved in the crash have either called Christian or met with him to express their gratitude and sincere appreciation for everything he did after the accident.
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The FedEx Humanitarian Award is the company’s highest non-service award. It recognizes FedEx employees who go above and beyond for their community. In the nearly 40 years of presenting the FedEx Humanitarian Award, only about 380 employees have received it.
We applaud Christian for his heroic actions that day.