This is the moment a father ran out into the street to rescue a driver from a burning Ford Fiesta.
Dramatic CCTV footage shows the moment the white Ford burst into flames after colliding with a traffic island in Warrington, Cheshire.
Lee Gwynn, 47, who heard the crash, ran out of his house and pulled the driver from the burning car. Mr Gwynn also went back to the car to check to see if any other passengers were inside.
He then put the driver into the recovery position until the emergency services arrived at the scene. A 27-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drink driving, public order and criminal damage.
Mr Gwynn, who is chairman of The Eldonian Housing Community Based Housing Association, said:’I heard an engine revving and then a crash. I looked at my CCTV camera and it showed a car upside down in the street. When I got close to the car the heat was quite intense, and I had to wrench the door open. I saw the driver and just reached in and pulled him out.’
After dragging the driver to safety Mr Gwynn then headed back to the car to search for other passengers that might have been trapped inside.
He said: ‘I thought there could have been a child on the back seat. I was also concerned the car might just blow up due to the amount of fuel on the road. I think the fuel pipe shattered on impact.’
CCTV footage has shown the moment a white Ford Fiesta burst into flames after colliding with a traffic island in Warrington, Cheshire
The car hit the roundabout before flipping over and erupting into flames
The car is seen on its side in dramatic footage taken at the time of the ordeal
Lee Gwynn, 47, who heard the crash, ran out of his house and pulled the driver from the burning car
After dragging the driver to safety Mr Gwynn then headed back to the car to search for other passengers that might have been trapped inside
Mr Gwynn said that locals in the leafy area were shocked by the ordeal, which saw the car tip over
Mr Gwynn said that he was relieved a member of the public was not killed or seriously injured. He said:’The area is hugely popular with families and dog walkers heading toward a nearby park.A woman was walking towards the island seconds before the crash, and my granddaughter had been out playing around an hour before the crash. Things could have been very different.’
Mr Gwynn said that locals in the leafy area, where homes sell for around £500,000, were shocked.
He said: ‘Everyone is appalled by the crash but thankfully nobody was killed. The CCTV is dramatic – like a scene from a movie.’
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: ‘At 6.56pm on Saturday 1 February police were called to a one vehicle collision.
The car had collided with a roundabout and overturned. A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, public order and criminal damage.
He was later released under investigation pending further enquiries.’
