Local News in Brief : Man Burned, 2 Others Pulled Safely From Car

Passers-by and police pulled two men from a burning car Monday in Burbank, but a third man was critically burned when the rescuers could not free him, authorities said.

Two police officers suffered minor injuries during the rescue attempt, authorities said.

“He was begging them to help him,” Burbank Police Lt. Don Brown said of the man who was burned over 80% to 90% of his body. “They were frantically trying to free him. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get him out. They had to watch him burn.”

Burbank police said the accident occurred at 10:15 a.m when a car heading south on the Golden State Freeway went out of control, struck a guardrail and turned over near the Alameda Avenue exit.

The car burst into flames and its three occupants, all men in their mid-20s, were trapped, authorities said. Several freeway motorists stopped and tried to free the men before Burbank and California Highway Patrol officers arrived.

The rescuers were able to pull the two men out of the car before they were burned, but the third was pinned inside the back by pieces of the guardrail, authorities said. He was not removed until firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze, Brown said.

The burn victim was in critical condition at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, officials said. The two other occupants, who suffered multiple injuries, were in serious condition at the hospital, authorities said.

Burbank officers Mark Yamaguchi and James Wilburn, both 28, were treated at Burbank Community Hospital for minor smoke inhalation, officials said. Wilburn also injured his back during the rescue attempt, they said.

The names of the three wreck victims were not immediately released.