Good Samaritans save man from US-131 car fire

Two women didn't hesitate after seeing a car on fire on US-131 last Friday.

"As soon as I got him back, then the car, probably three to five minutes later, ended up exploding," Chyanne Saucier said.

Saucier and her fiance, Danielle Casarez, were in Kalamazoo and on their way back home when an accident happened right before them.

"We're on northbound 131, right before the construction happened, like, right at exit 72."

Their typical drive on the highway changed in an instant.

Danielle Casarez

"There was a red truck that was not prepared for the slowdown of the lane shift and whatnot, and it started kind of swerving a little bit left and right. And then all of a sudden slammed on his brakes," Casarez said. "The car behind him slammed into the back of his truck. He got slingshot off of the road, and then the red truck kind of swung, you know, and took out some other cars with it."

The two did not hesitate. They hopped right out of their truck to do what they could to ensure everyone's safety.

"I looked at David and I said, 'David, we need to get you out of this vehicle; your car is on fire,'" Saucier explained.

Casarez and Saucier's quick action impressed even the pros.

"They made all the difference in the world," Dorr Township Fire Chief Gary Fordham said.

The chief has been on the job for almost three decades.

"We got there as quick as we could. But you know, if they didn't do what they did, again, it'd be a completely different outcome, which would be horrible. So they are heroes," Fordham added.

As for the driver who was hurt, the two women don't have an update on his condition.

"We got him up off from the ground, and he kind of came to but he was still ... he had a really bad head wound, and he was bleeding really bad. So she actually reset his hand and got a wrench from our truck and wrapped his hand all up and then went and sat with him, kept him talking," Saucier said.

This moment inspired Saucier to look to one day becoming a first responder. She explained how a relative died in a car accident in 2010.

"She got hit head-on by a drunk driver that was going over 90 miles an hour, and she died at the scene," Saucier added.

The Good Samaritans say that if the worst were to have happened to the driver they helped, they at least wanted to be there for him.

"It costs nothing to show compassion and kindness and concern for your fellow human. That's why we did what we did," Casarez said.

The Dorr Township Fire Department plans to honor these two for their heroic efforts.

The chief plans to award them the Lifesaver Award.

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