A trucker saved a motorist from a fiery crash into a light pole in Illinois late last month, earning praise, and even a job offer, from the local fire department.
The accident happened on the night of October 18th in Joliet, Illinois on Laraway Road near Patterson Road.
According to Patch News, Joliet Fire Department Company 3 was called to the scene of a crash at about 10:06 p.m. after a car struck a concrete light pole and burst into flames with the pole on top of it. Before the fire department arrived, trucker Rashpal Saini, a driver for Hub Group who was on his way to Chicago, saw the accident and stopped to help.
Another trucker was already at the scene when Saini stopped to see if everyone was okay, Saini explained in an exclusive interview. The other driver asked Saini to grab his fire extinguisher, so he ran to his rig and brought it out. Saini then realized someone was still inside of the burning car, so he jumped into action. He noticed that the driver’s side door was pinned shut by the light pole, so he rushed to the passenger side and opened the door. When Saini began speaking to the wrecked motorist, he realized that he was only semi-conscious and disoriented, so he reached in and pulled him from the vehicle. Saini then attempted to extinguish the fire until the fire department arrived.
The motorist was soon transported to a nearby hospital where he was reported to be in good condition. The fire department was able to successfully extinguish the fire.
“Had it not been for the heroic action of this semi-driver, the driver probably would not have survived,” said Joliet Fire Chief Jeff Carey.
Saini says that he felt “very emotional” following the heroic rescue, and that he was happy to have been in the right place at the right time.
“I was overwhelmed afterwards because I realized that I had saved someone’s life. I felt happy, and proud,” he said.
Saini says that the Joliet Fire Department was so impressed by his actions that they offered him a job, but he politely declined and chose to keep his job as a driver for Hub Group. Great job, Rashpal!
You can watch some police body cam footage of the accident below.