Saturday, September 17, 2011

Bystanders rescue motorcycle driver trapped under burning car

A group of construction workers, students and other bystanders turned into a ragtag team of first responders to save the life of a motorcyclist trapped underneath a burning car in Logan, Utah.

The incident occurred Monday morning on a street near Utah State University and was captured on video.

Sgt. Jason Olsen of the Logan police was the first officer on the scene.

He was about to motion to a fellow responding officer to grab a jack when, "I realized that these citizens had already organized and were just going to manually lift (the car) up."

The crash occurred when a BMW pulled out of a parking lot and in front of the motorcyclist. Jeff Curtis, assistant chief of Logan police, said the motorcyclist tried to avoid the car, which resulted in him laying the motorcycle down.

After crashing, gas spilled out of the motorcycle and ignited, engulfing both the motorcycle and the front end of the car in flames, Curtis said. The motorcyclist became lodged underneath the burning vehicle.

The video shows several startled bystanders looking under the BMW as flames leap into the air.

The crowd quickly grows to include a man in a suit, construction workers wearing hard hats, a woman in sandals and a young man carrying a backpack, the video shows. After one person in the group tries to pick up the blazing car, the crowd joins in and lifts the 4,000-pound vehicle.

"I do remember one gentleman saying, 'We need everybody to come and help lift,' and that's when everybody ran over," Olsen recalled.

One of the bystanders drags the fallen motorcyclist's limp body from under the vehicle, the video shows.

The motorcyclist was identified as 21-year-old Brandon Wright from Logan. He was rushed to a hospital and was in stable condition after surgery Monday evening, Curtis said. The driver of the car was not seriously injured.

Police are now looking for the Good Samaritans to recognize them at a city council meeting for their actions.

It was a "life-saving move that the Logan Police Department does not want to go unnoticed," Curtis said.

The area where Wright crashed is highly trafficked, Olsen said.

"I think had this accident happened in a suburban area we wouldn't have gotten that kind of response -- we would have never had that kind of manpower," he said.

He added: "It speaks volumes to what people will do in a tragic situation to help another person out."

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