He Hung by His Ankles. She Had Two Frames Left.

On May 3, 1953, a produce truck from Portland lost its steering on the Pit River Bridge north of Redding, California, and smashed through the steel railing. The trailer stayed on the bridge. The cab, with two men trapped inside, hung over the edge about 40 feet above the water.

A Fishing Trip Turns Into a Rescue

Walter Schau was taking his wife Virginia and her parents to the opening of fishing season when the truck failed on the road near them.

Schau stopped traffic and found a length of rope. J. D. McLaren of Concord and other motorists joined him.

The cab's rear wheels were jammed between the side of the bridge and the trailer, which is what kept it from dropping.

Upside Down Over the Water

Schau hung by his ankles over the edge and lowered the rope to the driver, Paul Overby. Overby grabbed on, and Schau, McLaren and other motorists pulled him up.

That left Overby's helper, Henry Baum, still inside the cab and only semi-conscious. Then the cab caught fire.

Schau climbed down and pulled Baum out. Moments later the cab, fully ablaze, fell into the water below.

The Last Two Frames

While the men worked, Virginia went to the car for the Brownie camera her sister had given her. She later said she was "the kind of person who always takes a camera on a trip and never takes a picture."

It was the first time she had picked the camera up in more than a year, and two exposures were left on the roll. She ran to a knoll across from the dangling cab and used both.

From a Family Roll to a Pulitzer

Her father reminded her of the Sacramento Bee's weekly photo contest. She entered the picture, won, and the Associated Press then distributed it around the world.

Almost a year to the day later she was "flabbergasted" to learn that "Rescue on Pit River Bridge" had won the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Photography. She was the first woman to win it, and only the second amateur.

The photo shows the cab hanging off the bridge deck with a man on a rope beside it.