Two Strangers Pull Driver From Burning Car on I-435

When Bill Frey saw smoke rising from a car crashed into a bridge pillar on Interstate 435 in Kansas City, Kansas, he didn't think twice about pulling over. He found a driver leaning out of the burning vehicle, screaming for help.

"I grabbed him and pulled him out," Frey explained simply. He called 911 while another stranger, Sam Fleming, stopped to help too.

Fleming noticed the smoke and knew time was running out. "You've got to help. You've got to jump in. You can't let people burn," he said.

The two men worked together on March 5, pulling the injured driver to safety and checking the car for other passengers. The driver was in severe pain with multiple broken bones and couldn't move on his own.

By the time firefighters arrived, flames had completely engulfed the driver's seat. "He wouldn't have gotten away from that vehicle. It would have engulfed him," Fleming said.

On March 18, Kansas City Kansas Fire Department Captain Robert Allen tracked down both men to thank them personally. He presented each with a commemorative coin in recognition of their courage.

"Thank you, guys, for stopping. You guys saved a life, you really did," Captain Allen told them.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story remarkable is how unremarkable both men found their actions. Neither one had special training or equipment. They didn't know each other before that day. They just saw someone in danger and acted.

Assistant Fire Chief Scott Schaunaman emphasized just how rare that is. "They don't have the duty to act. But instead, they decided to step in, put their own life in danger to save the life of a complete stranger," he said.

The rescued driver spent six days recovering in the hospital before being discharged on March 11. He survived what would have been a fatal situation because two people chose to stop.

When asked if he'd do it again, Frey smiled. "It would be easier this time because I've done it once. But it's the same thing, you just check on them, make sure they're okay. And if they're not, you help make them okay."

Sometimes being a hero is as simple as deciding to pull over when others drive by.