ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. — A driver suffered serious injuries after being pulled from a burning car by an Army Veteran and an off-duty police officer.
According to the Allegan County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened at approximately 3:52 p.m. Friday along SB I-196, near M-40 in Fillmore Township.
We're told the driver may have suffered some kind of medical emergency that caused him to lose control of his vehicle and hit a tree.
FOX17 connected with Nelson Zarco, a U.S. Army Veteran who was driving along the highway when he saw the crash happen.
"I see a car swerve off to the shoulder, and I mean I saw the whole thing," Zarco said. "The car hit the tree, and I mean, the fire started immediately, like within probably seconds. There was a fire underneath the engine."
Zarco tells us that he parked on the side of the highway and immediately went to check on the driver.
The driver was unconscious and all the car doors were locked.
"We broke the windows of the car and we were able to open the doors," Zarco said. "And some of the smoke was able to get aired out."
Zarco said an off-duty police officer helped to break the windows, get the rear passenger door open, and pull the driver out moments before the car was fully engulfed.
"We made progress little by little, we started pulling him out. It was at a very awkward angle as well because we were pulling diagonally. But yeah, we finally started making a little bit of progress," Zarco recalled. "The fire was already inside the cab. It was burning his feet and by some miracle, we were able to to pull him out and we dragged him about 100 yards away from the burning car at a safe distance."
Zarco added that he stayed with the driver until he woke up, and helped to keep him awake until first responders arrived.
"It was me and the off-duty police officer that saved the guy's life," Zarco said. "We were able to pull him out together."
Zarco credited his experience with the U.S. Army in Iraq with helping him keep his cool during the tense rescue.
"Everything happens for a reason, I do believe," Zarco said. "I was meant to be there to help save the guy's life."
Police have not identified the driver.
We only know that he suffered burns to his lower legs and was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The extent of his injuries is still unknown.
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