Motorist hailed as hero for pulling family from car in China before it turned into fireball
A car dealer from eastern China has been hailed as a hero after he pulled a family to safety from a burning car seconds before it exploded, a newspaper reported.
The man was driving on a highway to Changzhou in Jiangsu province with his pregnant wife and brother-in-law when he saw a car had hit a roadside barrier and was on fire, the Legal Evening News reported.
The man opened the door of the passenger seat and pulled the woman and child out, the report said.
He then tried driver’s seat, but it would not budge.
The driver pleaded to the man to leave him because the car was about to explode, but he would not give up.
He and his brother-in-law used a wrench to break the window and open the door from the inside.
The car exploded five seconds after the pair pulled the driver out.
The driver is receiving treatment in hospital for punctured lungs, but his injuries are not life threatening, the report said.
His wife broke four ribs and their child sustained a light injury to her head.
READ MORE: Car blast in China kills three people and injures at least two others
Asked whether he was scared during the incident, the rescuer said he had no idea the car had been burning for 20 minutes and he had some knowledge of what to do if there was a road accident.
He was worried about his pregnant wife by his side, though, he was quoted as saying.
