GOSHEN, NY (WABC/CNN) - Good Samaritans rushed out to save a couple whose car was wedged underneath a burning tanker on a New York highway Sunday. Alejandro Rivera Jr., the son of the couple, is convinced.
“Without their help, my parents would certainly not be here today,” Rivera said.
Carmen and Alejandro Rivera Sr, married .56 years, were stuck in their Subaru. Witness Jackie Welch said there were flames coming out where the vehicle was wedged. Welsh’s son-in-law jumped out and ran to help.
The driver of the truck was not injured.
“My son-in-law, Matthew, and a whole bunch of other people ran over without even thinking,” Welch said. “Even with the flames, nobody really knew what the tanker was carrying. They weren’t sure if it was carrying fuel...They got the people out of the car, and next thing you know, somebody was screaming, ‘Get back! Get back!’ and the gas tank just blew up on the car.”
Alejandro Rivera Jr. said he is thankful, but cautions that his parents were injured.
“Broken ribs, broken back, broken ankle,” he said, listing the his father’s injuries. “My mother sustained head injuries. They had to do emergency surgery.”
Jackie Welch said she wants to remind everyone that people are good.
“Everybody just ran across the highway, even with flames coming out of the gas tank from the car,” she said. “Nobody knew if it was going to blow up, if it was a fuel tanker, nobody cared.”
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