Good Samaritans band together to save 71-year-old in fiery highway crash
One good Samaritan called the man's rescue "a miracle."
A group of good Samaritans jumped into action to help save a 71-year-old after his car became engulfed in flames on a Minnesota highway.
Sam Orbovich's vehicle "struck a light pole and then guardrail" during rush hour on Interstate 94 in Saint Paul, Minnesota State Patrol told ABC News. Orbovich became trapped inside his Honda SUV as it burned.
A group of good Samaritans jumped into action and raced to rescue Orbovich after they saw what had happened.
Kadir Tolla and 24-year-old registered nurse Tessa Sand were among those who rushed to help.
"All I see is there is a man in the car that can't get out and needs our help," Tolla said.
"I was scared, like shaking, scared. The car just totally went up in flames," Sand recalled, adding, "You could feel how hot it was. The smell of the smoke [was] just wafting in the air."
Sand and several others nearby stopped their cars and rushed to help free Orbovich. Sand directed others to pull on Orbovich's car doors.
"It was trying to figure out, one, how to get him out of the car, so trying to break the guardrail down, pulling the car, trying to see if we could get him out on the passenger side, which was also engulfed in flames," Sand said.
The highway response team then stepped in and smashed the driver side window of Orbovich's vehicle. This gave the good Samaritans the opportunity to pull Orbovich out of the window and toward safety.
"You could see the fear and the panic in his eyes," Sand said.
Orbovich was taken to an area hospital and survived with minor injuries.
"It's 100% a miracle," Sand said. "If strangers had not come together to form this community to get this man out of the car, I don't think he would still be here today."
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