Heroes of the Week: Good Samaritans pull driver out of car engulfed in flames

This week's heroes are the many commuters and Dave Klepaida, the Minnesota Department of Transportation FIRST driver who pulled over to help a man escape his burning vehicle in St. Paul, Minnesota, before it was totally engulfed in flames. The video from a driver's dashcam captures the entire scene (see below).

(Photo:  Dashcam footage showed bystanders racing to help after a fiery crash Monday morning. (WCCO, KADIR TOLLA/CBS)

Good Samaritans pull driver out of car engulfed in flames

By WCCO via CNN Newsource, Published: Apr. 23, 2024

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) - A group of good Samaritans rushing to help was caught on camera in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Dashcam footage shows bystanders racing to rescue the driver of a car after a fiery crash Monday morning.

Dramatic video from Kadir Tolla’s Tesla camera captures the frantic moment drivers run to help save a man trapped inside his car engulfed in flames.

“That was the craziest moment of my life,” Tolla said.

With the guard rail in the way, Tolla and the group of good Samaritans desperately tried to pry the doors open and break the window.

“The worst thing that could have happened was I could probably get burned a little or get injured, but that man could literally lose his life,” Tolla said.

It wasn’t until a driver with the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Freeway Incident Response Safety Team showed up with a tool that could shatter the glass that they were able to pull the driver to safety with just seconds to spare.

 

(VIDEO: Dramatic footage shows a group of good samaritans pulling a man out of car engulfed in flames. The footage was filmed along the Interstate 94 near St Paul, Minnesota, USA.Kadir Tolla, whose dashcam recorded the rescue, was on his way to visit clients on April 18 when he saw the crash along the I-94. Credit: Kadir Tolla) LINK: https://youtu.be/oGbu9U9ON54?si=NTw19jz_gdYaAqe6

“Get him out. It was the only thing going through my head,” Dave Klepaida, the Minnesota Department of Transportation FIRST driver, said.

Klepaida just happened to be patrolling the area. "To me, it’s just doing my job,” Klepaida said.

It was a good showing of humanity as everyone worked together to get the driver out. “Everyone stepped up and just did it. It wasn’t training; it was just being in the right place at the right time,” Klepaida said.

He credited a tool, known as window punch, that Minnesota Department of Transportation FIRST drivers keep on their key chains and in their trucks. “Basically, the black end goes up against the car window, and that little punch comes out and breaks the window,” Klepaida said.

Sam Orbovich, the driver they saved, said he only had minor injuries. “It was incredibly heroic,” Orbovich said in a statement. “Fred Rogers used to say that whenever someone sees something scary, look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Copyright 2024 WCCO via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.