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72 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, August 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 5, 2004 Good Sams rescue driver By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — Three good Samaritans saved an injured driver from being burned alive after his car careened off the road and burst into flames, witnesses said. Then the rescuers left for work. Lila Proby, who lives across the road from the accident in the 5000 block of Foothill Boulevard, said she was returning home from errands at around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and arrived just minutes after the wreck occurred. She said she talked to the reticent rescuers, who did not identify themselves. Proby said a woman in a red truck heard the victim’s cries for help. His Chevy passenger car had come to rest in a blackberry patch next to the Rogue River. The injured driver was unable to get out of the car by himself. "She said she couldn’t see the car at first but heard him crying, ‘Help! Help!’ " said Proby. The woman quickly realized she would not be able to pull the victim to safety because of his size. She dialed 9-1-1 and flagged down two more passing motorists, said Proby. Advertisement "The guy in the car was 45 or so. Dark hair. He must have weighed around 300 pounds," said Proby. "He said he lost control of his car." Proby described the two passing motorists as an older, small-framed Hispanic man and a 6-foot-4 younger white male. "The kid and the man pulled the big guy out of the car and took him far enough away from the car so that when it burst into flames, he wasn’t burned," said Proby. "If they hadn’t stopped, this guy would have been killed. Easily." The smell of smoke was still heavy in the air as firefighters from Rogue River Fire District continued to pour water on the smoldering remains of the Chevy. They said they arrived minutes after the accident and transported the victim to Rogue Valley Medical Center. "We had the fire knocked down in five minutes," said Chief Greg Winfrey. "The driver appeared to be in relatively good condition and was not burned." Proby said the victim’s rescuers stayed until paramedics loaded the man onto the ambulance. The back of the smaller man’s shirt was covered in blood from helping the victim, she said. "Then the younger one said, ‘We’d better get to work’ and they got in their car and left," she said. Deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, which also responded to the accident, would not release the identification of the victim or the female rescuer as of press time. They were still trying to identify the two male rescuers. Clyde Brooks of Precision Towing inspected the smoldering wreckage. A four-foot chunk of bark was torn off the tree the Chevy crashed into. The car’s make was the only discernible identifying information left after the fire was put out. The model, license plates and paint color had burned away in just minutes. "That fire sure didn’t leave much to hang on to," said Brooks. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities