Bystanders Team Up for Dramatic Rescue of Man Pinned Under Burning Car

Several bystanders banded together to save a man’s life in Pennsylvania on Wednesday last week.

A car crashed into several vehicles in the parking lot of the Saints Simon and Jude School in Westtown Township around 1 p.m. on March 14, police say.

The car flipped on its side, and a flame flared up in the area of the impact.

A dramatic video from a police cruiser’s dashcam shows bystanders rush to the car. One man is seen climbing on top of a nearby car to assess the situation.

The driver of the car was pinned underneath as the vehicle burned. Several bystanders and police then worked together to flip the car back on its wheels and extract the injured man.

“Faculty members of the Saints Simon and Jude School were able to use numerous fire extinguishers to keep the fire from spreading until the driver could be extricated from beneath the vehicle,” the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department wrote in a statement lauding the bystanders.

“Additionally, numerous citizens came to the aid of officers in rolling the vehicle off of the driver,” the department added. “Without their assistance, the incident could have ended in a tragic manner.”

Police cruiser dash cam footage taken on March 14, 2018, shows the aftermath of a serious motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Rt. 3 and Rt. 352 in Westtown Township, Pennsylvania. (Screenshot via Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department)

Police cruiser dash cam footage taken on March 14, 2018, shows the aftermath of a serious motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Rt. 3 and Rt. 352 in Westtown Township, Pennsylvania. (Screenshot via Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department)

The local police department rarely shares footage recorded by officers, but in this case, they decided to release the video to “share the courageous actions of the individuals (both officers and civilians) who responded to the scene that day.”

The injured driver was treated by emergency personnel on the scene and rushed to Paoli Hospital.

A preliminary report from the police department found that the unidentified victim drove a white Honda CR-V at high speed and lost control. The car crossed the median and the lanes heading in the opposite direction, went airborne and slammed into several vehicles in the parking lot.

Aerial view of the area surrounding the Saints Simon and Jude School in Westtown, Pennsylvania. (Screenshot via Google Maps)

“The white Honda struck several parked and unoccupied vehicles,” the police department said in a statement. “One parked vehicle was hit so hard by the white Honda that it traveled forward, striking the school building.”

Watch the dramatic rescue unfold below.

The nearby Saints Simon and Jude School was in session when the crash occurred. No students or staff were injured as a result. Traffic Safety Unit and Criminal Investigation Division is probing the incident.