ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — First responders in Orange County rescued a woman from a burning vehicle with the help of two good Samaritans.
A witness called 911 to report the fiery crash along Apopka Vineland Road on Sept. 25.
“911, do you need the police, the paramedics or the fire department?” asked the operator.
“Both, all of them. A car just crashed into a tree, and it’s on fire,” said the witness.
Flames engulfed the roof of the vehicle as thick smoke filled the cabin.
The woman trapped inside the car could be heard screaming for help on body camera footage as Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies tried to pry her out.
“Oh, my God. I’m so scared,” she said.
Deputies were not alone during the rescue. Justin Rountree was driving nearby when he heard the impact and saw the smoke rising.
“I was like, ‘Oh, what is that? What’s going on?’ So, my first instinct was to pull into the parking lot and go assist,” Rountree said.
Rountree grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran toward the danger, where he helped another good Samaritan and a deputy try to pry open the driver’s side door, but it was pinned against the tree.
“So, we went around to the passenger side. He went in the passenger door and was trying to pull her out, so I grabbed the sunroof and ripped it off the top of the car,” Rountree said.
Together, the trio pulled the woman to safety just in time for paramedics to rush her to the hospital.
Days after the rescue, OCSO posted bodycam footage of the two good Samaritans on social media, hoping to find the two men who risked their lives to save a stranger.
Rountree said he doesn’t need an award, just one simple thing.
“I’d ask her for a hug,” he said.
There is no word on the woman’s condition, and the second good Samaritan has not been identified.
