A California driver narrowly escaped death after being pulled from a rolled-over vehicle just minutes before it burst into flames.
Body camera footage caught the nail-biting moments before the injured driver was freed by a sheriff’s deputy and a Good Samaritan, identified as John Phelps by the Modesto Bee, who witnessed the crash and stopped to help.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office released the footage to their Facebook page on Monday.
Tom Letra of the Stanislaus County Police Department confirmed one of the rescuers’ identities as Deputy Saul McNaul, who witnessed the crash as it happened before rushing to the scene.
According to Letra, a truck went off the side of Highway 120, rolled and crashed into an embankment, where it caught on fire.
In the footage, McNaul hops a fence and sprints over to the burning car as a woman can be heard screaming: “Get him out!”
The witness begins pulling the man, his arm and face bloodied, from the back window with the help of the officer. The Modesto Bee identified the victim as Modesto resident Steven Riggs.
As they struggle to free him, smoke builds around the car and the flames grow stronger. Moans can be heard coming from the man pinned inside. Finally, the heroic duo free him and drag him to safety as the car is engulfed in fire.
Around 18 metres away from the car, the three found themselves in danger yet again. The surrounding brush caught fire from the truck and began to spread, forcing the two to pull him farther away.
They make it to safety as the injured man complains of back pain.
Though he appeared conscious in the video, the driver’s condition is currently unknown and he’s in the hospital, CBS News reports.
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