Video shows bystanders, trooper rescue driver from burning SUV on I-35W in Roseville
ROSEVILLE, Minn. — A trooper and some good Samaritans helped pull a motorist from a burning vehicle Monday morning on a busy Twin Cities interstate, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Traffic cameras showed an SUV had driven off Interstate 35W in Roseville and hit a light pole near County Road C just after 9:20 a.m.
Video shows people working to free the driver as heavy smoke and flames poured out of the SUV's front end.
The victim, a 22-year-old Minneapolis man, is expected to survive, the state patrol says. Hennepin Healthcare says he is in critical condition as of Monday evening.
The state patrol identified the good Samaritans as 59-year-old Terrance Louis Maynard, of Inver Grove Heights, and 43-year-old Joseph William Wold, of Lino Lakes.
Sgt. Vang Yang rushed over immediately when he saw smoke billowing from the vehicle.
"The first thought that came to my mind was, 'We got to get this person out of the vehicle,' because smoke usually leads to fire," Yang said.
They were able to pull him from his car just seconds before it went up in flames.
"Maybe another 10, 20 seconds, I think that fire probably would've gotten to the driver," Yang said.
When Yang found the doors were locked, he used his baton to smash windows. It melted in the heat once he dropped it.
A few passing drivers, including Maynard, had come to offer help. One of them brought a crowbar and a fire extinguisher.
"Not knowing if there's only one person in there, all this is racing through your mind at the same time," Maynard said. "You literally don't have a care in the world other than to get that door open."
With everyone pulling, the group got the driver out, who they say was conscious and talking.
"We came together not knowing each other, but just knowing there's two other people out there willing to jump in and take hold of a situation like this is amazing," Maynard said.
Yang says in his experience, people do want to help.
"I'm very thankful that a few of those people stopped and [were] there to help me drag this person out, so we had a better outcome today," he said.
The state patrol says it's still investigating.