A driver was saved from potential burns by active bystanders late Monday after the vehicle he was driving left the roadway at about 9 p.m. near Waikoloa Junction and struck an embankment. ADVERTISING A driver was saved from potential burns
A driver was saved from potential burns by active bystanders late Monday after the vehicle he was driving left the roadway at about 9 p.m. near Waikoloa Junction and struck an embankment.
Clint Haley, 21, of Waikoloa was headed back from Kona International Airport after picking up his roommate when the pair spotted the vehicle off the side of the road. Nothing seemed bad, Haley said, but his roommate suggested they stop.
Haley agreed and pulled over, seeing a group of people already trying to help the driver, who was trapped inside the vehicle.
Haley wrenched the driver’s door away, finding the man pinned between the steering wheel and his seat. Haley was asking the driver if he was injured when flames became visible under the hood. Haley pulled the driver out and carried him a few feet away, and the group moved the man to a safe distance.
After the driver was extricated, the engine began to burn, igniting a small brush fire, said Hawaii Police Department Lt. Juergen Canda. The Fire Department was able to extinguish the blaze before it could expand.
“It was a big effort by a lot of people,” Haley said.
The driver was taken to the North Hawaii Community Hospital for his injuries. No further information was available about his condition.
Email Graham Milldrum at gmilldrum@westhawaiitoday.com.
