CONCORD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW) – A dramatic rescue unfolded Wednesday evening when a group of individuals intervened to save a driver from a pickup truck engulfed in flames following a rollover accident on Interstate 90.
The incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. near Route 44 in Lake County. According to investigators, the pickup truck, possibly after clipping another vehicle, veered out of control, rolling over multiple times before coming to rest in the median. The vehicle then burst into flames.
The driver was ejected from the cab during the rollover, landing dangerously close to the intense fire. Several drivers who witnessed the accident immediately stopped their vehicles and rushed to the victim’s aid, pulling him away from the burning wreckage.
Concord Township firefighters arrived quickly and extinguished the fire. They praised the quick-thinking actions of the good Samaritans.
“When we got there, there was a lot of fire. The fuel tank had ruptured so the whole median, the vehicle, there was lines of fire. These people stopped, they didn’t hesitate, they got out and grabbed the male and carried him to safety. You know, there was a lot of fire and, I mean, things could have been a lot worse,” said Concord Township Fire Lt. Mike Fearing.
Authorities noted the victim was fortunate to have landed in the grassy median, away from the highway, and that the rescuers, which included a nurse, acted swiftly.
“It’s amazing,” said Fearing. “I’m sure this man thanks God that these people stopped to help him because, in addition to his injuries, he could have been burned up or been hit by another vehicle.”
The victim was initially transported by ambulance to the University Hospitals TriPoint Medical Center in Lake County and subsequently transferred by medical helicopter to the University Hospitals Medical Center in Cleveland.
Firefighters noted that after their arrival, some of the good Samaritans quietly left the scene, their identities unknown. Lt. Fearing cautioned against putting oneself in harm’s way but acknowledged the extraordinary circumstances.
“Of course, we’re never going to tell anybody, you know, put yourselves in harm’s way for a stranger and we don’t want other victims, so we’re always going to discourage doing that,” said Fearing. “However, there’s a time and a place for everything and sometimes people, they step up and they make a difference and quite potentially they saved this man’s life.”
