HENRICO COUNTY, Va. β The Virginia State Police is crediting the quick actions of good Samaritans with helping save a driver's life after a fiery crash.
The single-vehicle crash happened at about 5:30 p.m. Friday on Interstate 295 south near Woodman Road in Henrico County.
Susie Gorman was the first driver who stopped to help after seeing the smoking car stuck in the wood line.
"I parked and then started running back towards the car and waving my arms," Gorman said. "All these other vehicles were pulling over. By time I got to the vehicle, it was like probably 10 people there and we all were trying to open the doors."
VSP said the driver, Quavelle Teon Montgomery of Henrico, had run off the road and hit a tree, trapping his body in his 2015 Nissan Altima.
"Some of the guys were just pounding with a bare fist, I mean, bleeding with glass embedded in their fists. It was awful, and they were just kicking and screaming and doing everything to open the windows," Gorman said.
Gorman recorded parts of the intense rescue on her cell phone. Several individuals including the responding trooper, B. Mills, can be seen putting out the flames and attempting to reach the driver.
Others used hammers and objects to break the glass as one man cut the airbags from the car to get to the injured victim in the locked, burning car.
After several fire extinguishers ran out, Gorman said "an angel" who worked for Blanchet Concrete Pumping LLC pulled up to the scene.
Benjamin Footer had just filled up his truck's giant water tank after leaving a nearby job site.
"I was in the Marine Corps for eight years, so I'm certainly not going to walk past a bad situation and not do anything," Footer said in a phone interview.
"I could see the flames coming through the windshield, and it had melted the windshield slightly."
Footer described a hectic rescue attempt as they waited for other first responders to arrive.
"Everything happened so quickly, but I shoved a piece of steel in the steering column and then pushed my back against the windowsill of the door. That essentially lifted the steering column up and broke it. So, then we could lift the steering wheel up out of the way, but the firewall had his right shin pinched down," Footer said.
VSP said an unidentified off-duty nurse helped maintain the victim's airway until Henrico Fire and EMS arrived and cut him out of the car.
The preliminary investigation indicates Montgomery either experienced a medical emergency or fell asleep prior to leaving the roadway. VSP said there were no signs of braking before the vehicle left the pavement and medication consistent with seizure treatment was located inside the vehicle.
Montgomery was transported to VCU Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries and his current condition is unknown.
"I'd love to be able to see him and be like, 'Man, I did my best for you.' I'm just so fortunate that I filled my water tank out before I left," Footer said.
VSP also acknowledged Duke White Jr. who broke the vehicle's windows with his bare hands to give the driver air.
"Virginia State Police is especially grateful to the citizens who stopped and risked their own safety to help Trooper Mills keep the driver alive until fire and EMS could arrive," Sgt. Jessica Shehan said in a statement. "Their quick actions, along with others who assisted, are credited with helping save the driver's life."
Gorman said she recorded the rescue on her cell phone for one reason.
"I only took that video to show how much good there is in this world. There were all these people, regardless of race or color or gender or anything," she said. "I just wanted [the victim] to know that we just wanted to help him. All those people in the video wanted to help him."
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