Good Samaritan helps save Jeffersonville driver from fiery crash

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN (WAVE) – A morning crash in Jeffersonville on Wednesday closed down part of Allison Lane for hours. The crash left the driver stuck inside with the car on fire.

Austin Smith was driving through the area, saw the crash, and immediately jumped out to help.

"You know, we had to get him out of there. It was the most important thing," Smith said.

Smith made a wrong turn Tuesday and ended up on Allison Lane, driving past the scene of a fiery crash.

"There was a man in there, he was trapped. The car was going up in flames, the flames were coming through the dashboard," Smith said.

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The car had to be driving pretty fast down the road, Smith said, because it cracked the telephone pole in half and then drove into a nearby tree.

"The front end of it was completely caved in. There were pieces of the car everywhere," Smith said.

Neighbors poured water on the fire. Smith worked to get the driver out. Jeffersonville Police arrived quickly, in time to help cut the driver out of his seat belt.

"Two big officers pulled him out. Once he was on the ground, I kind of picked him up and drug him up, away from the burning vehicle," Smith said.

It wasn't the potential dangers to himself, but the driver weighing on his mind, he said.

"I mean, another minute or two and the flames would have reached him, he would have started burning up," Smith said.

The cracked pole is now replaced. Car fragments still sit on the grass. Smith's wrong turn put him in the right place to help.

"I thank God that we were able to get him out of there, get him to the hospital," Smith said.

Jeffersonville Police said one officer received minor injuries during the rescue. The driver of the car was taken to a hospital for his injuries.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

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