Strangers Rescue Man from Car Engulfed in Flames.

August 27, 2024 by Cathy Stack

ST. PAUL, Minn.—A dash camera captured an incredible rescue and act of teamwork on a Minnesota highway. The heart-stopping moment occurred in April on the 1-94 highway when a group of motorists witnessed an SUV drifting off the highway lane and suddenly bursting into flames.

Several drivers pulled over and rushed out to offer help. The group of strangers immediately banded together to work on saving the trapped, unconscious man inside. Thanks to the quick thinking and teamwork of these strangers, the man survived the ordeal.

The driver, 71-year-old Sam Orbovich, lost consciousness behind the wheel and struck a light pole, which caused his SUV to spin and pin against the highway guardrail. His vehicle then exploded into flames.

The witnesses who pulled over to help desperately attempted to pry open the car doors, but the guardrail made that impossible. One person attempted to bend the rail to obtain entry while another sprayed the flames with a fire extinguisher and another attempted to break the window.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Freeway Incident Response Safety Team (FIRST) arrived in minutes. Using their own equipment, they quickly smashed the vehicle’s glass window. Together with the group of bystanders, they pulled the driver out of the fiery car in the nick of time.

Sam regained consciousness as his rescuers worked to get to him. He had no memory of the accident and panicked to find himself trapped and surrounded by flames. The rescuers did their best to calm him down with assurances that he would be ok, that responders were on their way and that they were working on getting him out as quickly as possible.

“I am alive today because several good Samaritans and professional first responders saved my life,” Sam said. “It is incredibly heroic when people driving down the highway choose to put themselves at risk by running toward the flames to extract a stranger from a burning car that could explode at any moment.”

A dashboard camera in Kadir Tolla’s vehicle recorded the entire scene when he jumped out of his own car to offer help.

“All I see is that there is a man in a car that needs our help,” said Kadir when asked about his own motivation to assist in the daring rescue.

Another of the witnesses and rescuers, Tessa Sand, commented on how the strong scent of the smoke and heat emanating from the flames made her shake with terror. Her fear did not stop her or the other bystanders from continuing to help. She recalled how the group of strangers quickly formed a community that had one mission in mind, which was to save the man as quickly as possible.

“It is 100 percent a miracle,” she said.

The rescued driver, Sam, suffered minor injuries and the FIRST team transported him to the hospital for treatment.

“The State Patrol is grateful that the driver is OK due to the heroic actions of the individuals who stopped to help,” Lt. Jill Frankfurth stated.

The Foundation for A Better Life and PassItOn.com believe that the group of quick-acting motorists are all heroes for their willingness to band together and put themselves at risk to save a stranger. Their act is a great example of the value of teamwork. They have shown us the good that can occur when everyday people look out for one another. Help celebrate them by sharing their inspiring story.