Rich David, the mayor of Binghamton, New York, is on a mission to find and thank several unidentified good Samaritans who rescued a woman from her burning vehicle in the aftermath of a 10-car pileup on Route 17 last week. To accomplish this, David has released dashcam footage that recorded the dramatic rescue, and is asking anyone with information regarding the rescuers’ identities (or the rescuers themselves) to come forward. Frankly, they deserve any and all recognition since what they did on New York’s Highway 17 is further proof that — Donald Trump notwithstanding — humanity isn’t doomed, after all.
In addition to posting the video on Facebook, David commended the heroism it displayed:
In a time of crisis, these brave individuals navigated through flames and broken glass to save a stranger’s life. The woman suffered only minor cuts and bruises. Miraculously, the crash resulted in no fatalities. We’re still attempting to identify those seen on video so they can be recognized for their efforts. On behalf of our entire community, I commend these unsung heroes as well as our local police, fire and EMS first responders. Binghamton is safer because of you
ABC News talked to Jay Zemotel, a truck driver on the scene who was busy rescuing another person when he noticed the woman’s car engulfed in flames. Needless to say, as soon as he was done pulling that man to safety, Zemotel raced to the woman’s aid:
“I saw she was in a wheelchair, and then I saw the other car on fire, and I was like, ‘OK, we have got to get you out of here.'”
“It was like I was trapped in a movie. You see a car on fire you think it’s going to blow up. I was kind of fearing for my life, but I wasn’t going to leave her there. There’s just no way,” the Syracuse, New York, resident said.
You can view the full clip below:
(Via ABC News and Mayor Rich David on Facebook)