Adam Rainbolt said he wasn’t sure what to expect when he stepped up to the burning car that had just rear-ended a truck at the intersection at which his vehicle was stopped.
“The first thing I thought was, ‘We’re going to open the door and see a dead body in there,’ because it was such a terrible crash,” said Rainbolt, a mechanical engineering senior.
But as Rainbolt, along with electrical engineering senior Ryan Hunt, approached the car, he realized the driver was alive, and together he and Hunt pulled a pregnant woman from the burning vehicle, saving her life.
The collision occurred Tuesday in Thomas, Mich.. Hunt and Rainbolt were driving home from their internships at Dow Corning Corporation with two other coworkers and were stopped at a four-way stop when they heard the crash occur a few cars in front of them, across the intersection. They then saw a Ford pickup truck skid past their car.
Rainbolt and Hunt got out of their vehicle, and Rainbolt dialed 911. But the line was busy — others who had witnessed the collision also were calling 911, so Rainbolt said he hung up his phone and ran with Hunt to the black Cadillac CTS with Jessica Dore inside.
A statement from the Tittabawassee Township Police Department said it appears Dore suffered “medical issues” that likely caused the crash, and paramedics determined the 28-year-old Bay City, Mich., resident had low blood sugar when the collision occurred.
As he approached the car, Hunt said he saw there was someone in the car who wasn’t moving.
“For a heartbeat I was worried, but then I saw her move her arm,” he said. “She wasn’t able to do much more than moan in fear.”
The engine of the car had ignited, and the front of the car was on fire.
Hunt said he assessed the situation and acted logically.
“A part of me acknowledged that there was a danger, but I knew that the danger was only going to increase,” he said. “Anyone who came later was just going to put themselves in greater danger.”
After untangling her from the car’s air bags, Rainbolt said he lifted Dore’s legs while Hunt lifted her arms.
They carried her to the grass at the side of the road about 100 feet away from the vehicle.
Anyone else in his situation would have done the same thing to save a human life, Hunt said.
“I was there, the opportunity was there,” he said. “It was just the right place, right time (and) right reaction.”
Other passersby came to assist until emergency services arrived. Within minutes, Hunt said the whole car was engulfed in flames. The fire eventually was extinguished by the Tittabawassee and Thomas Township fire departments.
Dore was transported to Covenant Hospital, 1447 North Harrison St., in Saginaw, Mich., and later was released.
It’s amazing she survived such a accident with only minor injuries, Rainbolt said.
“The biggest heroes are the engineers at Cadillac because not many cars would have made it through an accident that horrific,” he said.
The driver of the truck, 28-year-old Bay City resident Ryan Arsenault, also suffered minor injuries and sought treatment at Covenant Hospital before later being released.
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Hunt said his training as a lifeguard prepared him to handle the situation appropriately. Despite the danger, he knew he simply had to make a decision and take action.
“I knew what had to be done,” Hunt said. “I knew the risk, and I knew it was worth it.”
