Stranger Rescues Man From Burning Vehicle After Mira Loma Crash

MIRA LOMA (CBSLA.com) — A man, who survived a fiery crash in the Inland Empire on Tuesday morning, is speaking out about the ordeal and the Good Samaritan who rescued him.

Corey Keast told CBS2's Crystal Cruz that he had fallen asleep at the wheel when he struck a big-rig overnight on Harrel Street and Etiwanda Avenue in Mira Loma.

Soon after, the car was set ablaze with Keast trapped inside.

Unable to open the doors or windows, Keast says he was terrified.

He recounted, "I was terrified because, you think, if there's a fire or smoke or whatever, you can break a window and get out."

"But when you can't, that's when you're kind of just shocked and you think, okay, here's the countdown. What's going to happen? Am I going to be burned or am I going to die," he explained.

Then, a stranger approached.

"He tried kicking the window and, at that point, I almost felt helpless because I thought, oh my gosh, fire crews are going to roll but I mean, even five minutes away can be a huge degree of separation," he said.

The stranger yanked hard enough on the driver's door and it opened, freeing Keast.

While Keast was at the hospital, his sister was online looking for the Good Samaritan to thank him.

She wrote via Facebook, "To whoever got my brother out of his burning car at 3 a.m., God bless you. I'd like to know your name. You are amazing! God is good!"

By late Tuesday, Keast found the Good Samaritan online, who had also posted an update that said, in part, that he had never seen so much fear in one man's eyes.

"If he wasn't there, that whole delay, who knows what could have happened," Keast said.

DUI was not suspected in the crash.