Bystander Helps Police Pull Man From Fiery Crash In Utah County
Jun 14, 2019, 8:27 PM
HIGHLAND, Utah – A man survived a fiery car crash after bystanders noticed a problem off the side of the road and decided to act, rushing to help.
Chief Reed Thompson of the Lone Peak Fire District said shortly after midnight Friday. A man was driving westbound on State Route 92 when he crossed into the oncoming lanes and off the side of the road.
The vehicle hit several trees, then crashed through a chain-link fence and off an embankment. It landed in a sewer lift station, hitting a wall and catching fire.
Ben Boster was driving through the area and noticed the car’s headlights in an area that didn’t look right.
“Being tired enough at the time, I thought it was normal, but thinking that the car was far enough off, that maybe it’s on some sort of side road,” he said.
After passing through the area, he realized there was no side road and the car had crashed. He turned around to go check on it.
“It was burning just below the engine compartment. (The flames) then started to grow up through the engine. It took a minute for it to start to grow, but we were getting nervous,” Boster said.
Another car had stopped, and Boster asked a woman from that group if she would call 911. He helped get directions to the scene. Another man from the group approached the car.
“He just pulled up the fence and crawled underneath and started banging on the window to try and get the guy to tell him his name,” Boster said. “The fire was the critical part that we were concerned about.”
Police arrived and they, along with the man from the other car, pulled the driver out of the burning car. The victim – whose identity was not available – was taken to a trauma center where Chief Thompson said his last-known condition was critical, but stable.
He said those bystanders did the right thing in acting quickly.
“We generally don’t recommend moving a patient unless their life is in danger, and in this case, it was the right call to make,” he said.
Investigators were still working to determine exactly what caused the crash.
