Victim rescued from fiery SF crash was DUI
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — A man who was saved from a burning vehicle in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood early Monday morning was found to have allegedly been driving under the influence, a police spokesman said.
A cab driver, two Good Samaritans and a San Francisco police officer braved intense flames to pulling the injured driver from a car that had burst into fireball moments after it had crashed into a light pole, authorities said.
San Francisco police Capt. John J. Feeney said his agency received several 911 calls reporting at crash near the corner of Folsom and 12th Streets at 1:37 a.m.
Arriving officers found a chaotic scene. A cab driver and a group of Good Samaritans were using a toppled street sign to attempt to bash open the car's windows and free the injured driver.
Peter Sellars, a San Francisco resident who witnessed the crash, said the vehicle was visibly leaking fuel before it exploded into a fireball.
"The gasoline, you could see it dripping out, and there was a little bit of sparks (shortly after the crash)," he told KTVU. "You knew the car was going to be on fire. I'm not sure who these guys (the Good Samaritans) are — I think they are our neighbors -- they ran over there in the middle of street while I was on 911."
"It was incredible because the flames kept getting bigger and bigger while they tried to get this guy — who was unconscious — to unlock his door," he continued. "It was very difficult to watch but the three guys picked up the sign and starting trying to break into the car windows."
Feeney echoed the sentiment.
"Some of our units arrived in the scene to find the occupant still inside the vehicle," he told KTVU. "There was a cab driver and several citizens attempting to break the windshield open. With the aid of the officers they were finally able free the driver...We are very fortunate to have gotten him out the car."
San Francisco police officer Daniel Solorzano was among the responding units and rushed to help with the rescue.
"When I arrived the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames," he said. "The victim had his seat belt on. I got out my knife and cut him out of his seat and helped pulled him out of the vehicle...I was just doing my job."
Feeney without the heroics, the man had no chance to survive the crash.
"He would have perished in that fire — no doubt," he told KTVU.
The man was taken to San Francisco General Hospital and is expected to survive. Once at the hospital, he was arrested on suspicion of DUI and will be booked into county jail when he is medically cleared, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.
The 36-year-old San Francisco resident's name was not being released as of Monday afternoon because he had yet to be booked into jail, Esparza said.
One of the good Samaritans also was injured during the rescue, suffering a minor wound to his hand, according to Esparza, who lauded "the brave witnesses and officer that jeopardized their safety to rescue this person."
The officer, cab driver and Good Samaritans were not injured in the rescue.
