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BellSouth Employee Karl Lastinger Wins Vail Award ATLANTA, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Karl Lastinger, BellSouth (NYSE:BLS) facility technician in Savannah, Ga., was recognized today for his outstanding act of valor in a rescue that saved a woman's life. For this heroic act, Lastinger was awarded the Gold Vail Medal, which is the highest award given to telecommunication employees and retirees whose behavior exceeds what is normally required on the job or in an emergency situation. While traveling north on I-95 in May of 2003, Lastinger came upon an accident that had left a man dead and his wife trapped in a burning car under the axles of an 18-wheeler. As he raced to the scene to see if he could help, Lastinger stared in disbelief at the most horrific situation he had ever seen -- a gravely injured woman soon to be consumed by fire if someone didn't act quickly. Lastinger approached the vehicle yelling for someone to pass him a fire extinguisher. The only one already on the scene lay not far from the car -- empty. Lastinger knew all he could do was pray. "Another man had gone under the trailer with me and we both began to pray," said Lastinger. "I was terrified. Then, fire extinguishers started coming to us under the trailer." People began moving fire extinguishers from other vehicles to the site and Lastinger and others sprayed to try and get the fire down, but they just couldn't get it under control. Lastinger knew they had to get the lady out soon or she would burn to death. "I knew I couldn't get the lady by myself," said Lastinger, "so I yelled for others to come and help." Several others moved in and together they were able to get the woman to safety. Lastinger doesn't see himself as a hero. "It wasn't just me; it was many who helped that day," said Lastinger. "It was God who saved her life -- not me." Established in 1920 as a memorial to Theodore N. Vail, first president of AT&T, the Vail Award remains one of the most prestigious awards in the telecommunications industry. There are three types of Vail medals: bronze, silver and gold. Over the last decade fewer than 25 bronze awards have been awarded by BellSouth and only three silver and one gold during that time. Acts demonstrating initiative, judgment, resourcefulness and perseverance in an effort to save lives or minimize pain and serious danger to life or property sets individuals like Karl Lastinger above the rest. About BellSouth Corporation BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth has joint control and 40 percent ownership of Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless voice and data provider with more than 50 million customers. Backed by award winning customer service, BellSouth offers the most comprehensive and innovative package of voice and data services available in the market. Through BellSouth Answers(R), residential and small business customers can bundle their local and long distance service with dial-up and high-speed DSL Internet access, satellite television and Cingular(R) Wireless service. For businesses, BellSouth provides secure, reliable local and long distance voice and data networking solutions. BellSouth also offers online and directory advertising through BellSouth(R) RealPages.com(R) and The Real Yellow Pages(R). BellSouth believes that diversity and fostering an inclusive environment are critical in maintaining a competitive advantage in today's global marketplace. More information about BellSouth can be found at http://www.bellsouth.com/. DATASOURCE: BellSouth Corporation CONTACT: LeAnn Boucher of BellSouth, +1-404-986-1742, or Web site: http://www.bellsouth.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/095650.html

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