Two Men Save Baby From Burning Car in Wales

A nine-month-old baby is alive today because two men refused to drive past a burning car on a Welsh highway.

Alex McClean, 21, was driving along the A465 in Merthyr Tydfil last Wednesday when her car suddenly lost power. Warning lights flashed, smoke filled the cabin, and she pulled into a lay-by to escape.

Alex scrambled out through the driver's door, but when she tried to reach her daughter Lilah in the back seat, the other doors wouldn't open. In her panic, she didn't think to try the opposite side.

"I was hysterical," Alex said. "I thought I was going to lose her."

She screamed for help as cars drove past. She tried smashing the window with her keys. Nothing worked, and flames were now visible through the windscreen.

That's when Wesley Beynon and his uncle Marc Willding spotted the smoking vehicle. Wesley, a 39-year-old welder, saw Alex at the passenger door in clear distress, screaming that her baby was trapped.

"It was pretty terrifying, I'm not going to lie," Wesley said. But instinct took over.

Wesley forced his way back through the driver's door while flames licked at the hood. He unclipped Lilah's harness and handed her to Marc, who pulled the baby to safety.

Thirty seconds later, the entire car erupted in flames.

Sunny's Take

The reunion on Saturday brought tears all around. Alex gave Wesley and Marc gifts and thanked them for saving her daughter's life, but the men insist they were just doing what anyone should do.

"We would have done it any way possible," said Marc, 58. "We would never have left until the baby was safely out."

Wesley's phone has been "red hot" since the rescue, with locals calling him and his uncle heroes on social media. But Wesley says the recognition isn't why they stopped.

"Knowing we made a difference, not just to the baby's life but to Alex and her family, means a great deal," he said. His advice to other drivers is simple: "Just stop and help. You could potentially change somebody's life."

Baby Lilah was completely unharmed by the ordeal. Alex says her daughter will grow up knowing the names of the two men who saved her life, and she'll never forget their heroism on that terrifying afternoon when strangers became family.