TRUMBUILL COUNTY Deputies praised for saving 2 lives

The deputies were on their way to Mansfield to pick up a prisoner.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Anthony Leshnack and Pete Pizzulo continued to perform their normal duties Thursday even as they were being hailed as heroes.
Justice system officials spent most of the day applauding the Trumbull County officers for their efforts in saving the lives of two women Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 71.
Leshnack and Pizzulo, who would not talk to The Vindicator for this story, spent Thursday doing their normal duties, said Ernie Cook, chief of operations for the sheriff's department.
"They are transporting prisoners and in court guarding Danny Lee Hill, a convicted killer," Cook said. "They are back to their regular day. They did an excellent job yesterday and will be getting letters of commendation."
The two deputies were on their way to Mansfield Correctional Institution to pick up Hill when they came upon a crash scene on I-71.
What happened
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, four vehicles were stopped in a construction zone, but a tractor-trailer driven by Rufus Seki, 53, of Indianapolis lost control, hit construction barriers, then rammed the rear of one of the stopped vehicles.
The fuel tank on Seki's rig ruptured, setting it and several of other vehicles ablaze, reports state.
The two officers rushed to the crash scene "in disregard of their own safety" and rescued two women just moments before their vehicle became engulfed in flames, the OSHP reported.
The women suffered only minor injuries, the report states.
sinkovich@vindy.com