Witnesses Pull Unconscious Man From His Burning Car

Good Samaritans saved a man’s life by pulling the unconscious 33-year-old from a burning car, fire officials said Friday.

The incident happened in Mission Viejo shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, said Garry Layman of the Orange County Fire Authority. Firefighters and an ambulance crew were called to a traffic accident at Los Alisos Boulevard and Via Noveno in Mission Viejo, where a Ford Ranger mini-pickup had hit a tree, knocking the driver unconscious, Layman said.

Nearby residents “poured out of their houses when they heard the crash,” Layman said. “The first people yelled for help . . . for fire extinguishers and tools. Some people carried down crowbars and hammers, which they used to pry open the door. The victim was lying unconscious on the floor with fire roaring in the engine compartment.”

By the time firefighters and an ambulance arrived, the man, whose name was not released, had already been freed. Paramedics took him to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, where he remained late Friday. A hospital spokeswoman declined to comment on his condition.

The man was not burned but had major injuries from the collision, Layman said.

The residents who rushed to the man’s aid saved his life “without a doubt,” Layman said. “This crowd got into it. It was a good thing too.”