PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland Fire and Rescue is thanking two good Samaritans who they say helped save a crash victim’s life Sunday night.
Firefighters and paramedics responded to a rollover crash on Southwest Scholls Ferry Road at around 10 p.m. At the scene, they found two Portland residents, Eli Bowden and Michael Hartung, who had pulled a woman from a crashed vehicle after the vehicle caught fire.
The crash victim was about 30 feet from the damaged car, Portland Fire and Rescue said. When firefighters arrived, they helped move the woman farther away from the burning car.
Fire officials said the flames from the vehicle were starting to burn through power lines and they were arcing on the ground near the car.
Fire crews, paramedics and EMTs assessed the victims away from the car and said that’s all thanks to Bowden and Hartung, who risked their lives to pull the woman out of the vehicle and take her to a safe place. Portland Fire and Rescue said the woman was critically injured during the accident and was unconscious when the two men pulled her out of the burning car.
“Because of their courageous acts, she has a fighting chance to survive,” Portland Fire & Rescue wrote in a press release.
The victim was assessed by a paramedic team and entered into the trauma system. Portland Fire and Rescue said as of Monday morning, they did not know the victim’s condition.