Milford

Men Drag Person Away from Burning Car in Milford

Two men came to the rescue after a car caught fire in Milford and they dragged the driver away from the burning vehicle.

Police said officers responded to a motor vehicle accident on West River Street near Wolf Harbor Road around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday after a vehicle went off the roadway, hit a large tree and burst into flames.

The driver had managed to crawl out of the vehicle, but wasn’t able to move far from it because of serious leg and hip injuries as well as internal injuries, police said.

Police identified the good Samaritans, Jake Tymon, of Fairfield, and Mark Bernier, of Milford.

Tymon is a senior at Fairfield University and says pulling a man from a burning vehicle is a little different from his typical Sunday evenings.

“There’s no way I would of imagined my day to end up that way,” said Tymon. “I was driving home from a family barbecue and I saw a stack of smoke coming up from right beside a tree.”

Tymon’s GPS rerouted him to West River Street.

“It was a car that had crashed,” said Tymon. “I immediately pulled over after witnessing what had happen.”

"The driver was face-down across both driver and passenger seat and we kind of urged him to get out of the car as soon as possible,“said Tymon.

Immediately following the heroic efforts, first responders pulled in and stepped in to help.

But, even after the life-saving efforts, Tymon still doesn’t consider himself a hero.

“I don’t classify myself a hero, I just happen to be at the right place at the right time,” said Tymon.

Firefighters are urging residents to take precautions when dealing with vehicle crashes.

Anthony Fabrizi is the battalion chief with Mildford’s Fire Department.

“We always like to see people get involved and help out a fellow citizen especially in an emergent time of need; however, there are some key things to remember,” says Fabrizi. “What we don’t want is we don’t want is bystanders getting involved and an emergent situation where first responders have not arrived on scene yet and then them themselves becoming a victim.”

The driver was transported to a local hospital. Authorities said the car was destroyed. The Milford Fire Department extinguished the fire.

Contact Us