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‘I feel very grateful to be alive’ — Woman meets man who saved her after fiery crash

Posted at 11:25 PM, Oct 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-03 23:25:09-04

MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. --  A May car crash could have turned deadly if not for the actions of a witness.

Laurel Sanchez was trapped in a burning car and unconscious after a May crash along US-131 near M120 in Muskegon County.   On Monday, she met the man who saved her life for the first time.

Rueben Quinton jumped into action after seeing the crash, pulling Sanchez from her vehicle.

"Glass and lights and taillights just explode out of the car, the airbags go off, you can see things flying everywhere," Quinton said about the crash.  "I just knew instantly whoever was in that car had to be rescued."

Ignoring the smoke and fire, he used all his strength to free Sanchez.

"As I'm pulling her out, I kept seeing the flames and the smoke and I'm thinking 'Oh man, this car's going to go, I got to get her away from this thing.'"

It was an incredibly brave effort that will not be forgotten by the person he saved.

"I feel very grateful to be alive," Sanchez said. "My family and friends thank him too, and I'm very grateful he was there to save me."

Quinton received a special award for the rescue from area firefighters.