Community Corner
Passersby Rescue a Man from a Burning Car in New Lenox (UPDATE)
A Joliet man's life hung in the balance about 11 a.m. July 22 when his car went off the road and into a bean field west of Gougar Road. Passersby are credited with the rescue, the Sun-Times Media said.
Will County Sheriff's Police reported that the driver of the car had suffered a diabetic reaction at the time of the accident. He is a 46-year-old resident of Joliet.
"He told deputies he had no recollection of the accident," according to Kathy Hoffmeyer, sheriff's department spokesperson.
When emergency crews arrived on the scene, the driver was breathing and his eyes were open, but he was unresponsive. He was treated at Silver Cross Hospital.
Hoffmeyer also noted that the man earlier identified as a passenger in the vehicle was in fact a witness. The 39-year-old man from Joliet told deputies that he came upon the scene as the vehicle was rolling in the bean field.
The sheriff's department has not yet been in contact with the three passersby the reportedly rescued the driver from the burning car. She said the accident is still under investigation. The report is not yet complete.
Original story
A man was pulled from a flaming car July 22 by three passersby.
Three employees from a Downers Grove fire alarm inspection company spotted a car on its side with flames shooting out. It turned out to be quite a dramatic rescue, according to the Sun-Times Media.
The three drove up and came upon a man standing by the car. He had been the passenger. Rescuers went into emergency response mode when they realized that the driver, who has yet to be identified, was still strapped in the vehicle.
“We got him just in time. The flames were 3 feet high coming out of the hood of the car,” Piloni told the Sun-Times Media.
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New Lenox Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Adam Riegel said a call about a vehicle on its side in a bean field came in at 11:10 a.m.
The passenger's name has not yet been released. The injured driver was transported to nearby Silver Cross Hospital. The case is under investigation by the Will County Sheriff's Police.
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Riegel said the three—Piloni, Glen Gillespie, of Alsip, and Jimmy Jackson, who is also a Manhattan firefighter—may be eligible for the New Lenox Fire Protection District Lifesaving Award.
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