A trapped trucker rescued by a Navy veteran has lived to tell the tale thanks to the man’s heroic actions.
Us Navy veteran Mark Pembleton watched as a semi truck started swerving on Route 28 in Virginia last week. When the truck overturned and caught fire, he stopped immediately to evaluate the scene and quickly realized he needed to jump into action.
“I pulled over on the side of the road and was right behind it,” Pembleton said to Inside Nova News. “It was already fully engulfed in flames. I heard the driver yelling for help,” Pembleton continued. “He was screaming ‘I have kids, please help me.’”
Instead of calling 911, Pembleton decided to take matters into his own hands, knowing that the trucker didn’t have the time to wait for emergency responders.
“I put down my phone, went around the truck and saw him on fire, crawling through his windshield at me,” Pembleton explained. “[It was so hot] all I could do was grab him. I would pull back as far as I could, and then I would retreat for a few seconds and then come back.”
Pembleton was eventually able to get the driver out, but not before both of them sustained serious burns.
“I looked down on my arms and saw how burned they were. The skin looked like it was melted off,” he said.
Pembleton and the truck driver were both taken to the hospital for their injuries. Two other people were also transported to the hospital.
“If it was any hotter, I don’t think I could have done it, because it was right at the point of where I thought I would instantly burst into flames,” Pembleton said.
An 18-year-old motorist with fraudulent car tags and no insurance caused the wreck when he ran into the semi truck. Officers believe he was speeding at the time of the collision.
Pembleton is expected to recover in approximately 6 weeks. The truck driver’s health status is unclear.