Heather Purcell believes fate played a role in her witnessing a local act of heroism over the weekend when a Saint John, N.B., taxi driver pulled a man from a burning car.
On Saturday, shortly after dropping her husband off at work, Purcell came to a stop sign when she saw a car engulfed in smoke.
Moments after noticing a taxi parked along the road nearby, the taxi driver stopped her and asked her to speak with 911 operators he had on the phone, saying he had trouble speaking English.
“The car just kind of gradually began catching on fire,” Purcell recounted to Global News in an interview.
Purcell said the taxi driver then broke the window of the burning vehicle and opened the passenger side door.
“Right around that time, a man came in on his bicycle,” Purcell recalled. “He was able to actually help the cab driver pull the guy out of the vehicle.”
Shortly after the man was safely pulled from the car, emergency crews arrived on the scene.
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According to Purcell, another two to three minutes in the car likely would have proved fatal.
“(The cab driver) came over to my car and showed me his shoes that were melted from being so close to the fire, and I just said to him, ‘you know, you’re a hero.'”
Pumped full of adrenaline, Purcell said she didn’t have an opportunity to ask the man his name. In the hours to follow, she took to social media to share the story in a post that has since received hundreds of reactions.
“This is all about goodness in the world people need to hear and see,” the post read.
In an interview with Global News, a spokesperson for the Saint John Police Force confirmed officers responded to the Douglas Avenue collision shortly after 5 a.m. on Saturday.
“It was reported that a Ford Fusion was travelling northbound on Douglas Avenue when it crossed the oncoming lane of traffic and collided with a parked car,” said Staff Sgt. Sean Rocca.
“A passing taxi driver did stop, called 911, and pulled the unconscious driver from the vehicle.”
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Rocca confirmed the driver of the vehicle was transported to the hospital and later released.
As for the identity of the mystery taxi driver, Rocca said he could not release it due to privacy.
Attempts by Global News to confirm the identity through local taxi companies proved to be unsuccessful.
In the meantime, Purcell will continue to search for the man in hopes she can one day put a name to the face.
“I just want to say thank you,” Purcell added.
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