Good Samaritan Pulls Three From Burning Car
Posted July 17, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
When Chris Fox spotted a vehicle careening out of control and on fire on the 401 Monday morning, he immediately reacted, pinning the car against the guardrail with his own vehicle to stop it, and proceeding to pull three people out of a mounting inferno.
The rescue unfolded around 7:20am in the highway’s westbound express lanes near Allen Road.
“I’ve been travelling the 401 to work for 10 years and you see some strange things but to me just the fact that something can go so wrong so quick, is quite surprising,” Fox said.
“As soon as I slowed down and pulled past the car, I looked over, and I saw the flames, and then I also saw the guy in the back seat like frantically trying to get out and someone trying to open the back door which they couldn’t open, so then right there I just said this is getting dead serious, right? I pulled over.”
That’s when he and another man jumped into action, pulling all three from the wreckage.
“It was a very dramatic situation,” said O.P.P. Const. Kent Taylor.
“A real credit to that Good Samaritan who took it upon himself to endanger himself and try and save another person.”
Police suspect the 24-year-old female driver of the vehicle was intoxicated.
She was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and was later charged with impaired driving with reports suggesting she was suffering the side effects of recent drug abuse.
“The woman has now been arrested for impaired driving on drugs,” said Taylor.
Any witnesses are urged to contact the Toronto O.P.P. at (416) 235-4981.
