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For The Washington Post

Virginia Oliver

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Kadir Tolla was driving along Interstate 94 in St. Paul, Minn., when he saw an SUV next to the guardrail. Flames were shooting out, and a passenger was stuck inside.

“I decided to park the car and get out and try to help,” said Tolla, 35, who runs a senior activity center with his wife and regularly transports clients. He was on his way to meet one when he spotted the fire.

Tolla wasn’t the only motorist who pulled over. About 10 others got out of their vehicles and ran toward the fire, which broke out around 6:30 p.m. on April 18.

“It was very, very scary, but I was numb,” Tolla said. “There was a man in there who couldn’t run away from the fire.”

He said that neither he nor the others who rushed to help knew the person inside.

“All we knew was that there was a human in that car and we decided to get to action,” Tolla said.

“There was no hesitation,” said Lacie Kramer, 32, who also raced from her car to help. “It was pure adrenaline.”

Tolla said his vehicle has video-recording features  that he often keeps on to capture any break-ins or accidents. His car recorded the chaotic scene, as people sprinted out of their vehicles and tried desperately to yank open the doors of the fiery SUV. The guardrail kept the doors from fully opening.

“Everybody was just trying their best to get this man out of the car,” Tolla said. “It was people risking their life to save another.”

One man started spraying what appears to be a fire extinguisher, while Tolla grabbed a chunk of debris from the side of the road and used it to try to smash the driver’s-side window open. Flames were blowing into rescuers’ faces.

“There was a moment there that I thought we weren’t going to be able to get him out,” Kramer said.

A Minnesota Department of Transportation worker arrived at the scene and was able to smash the window down. The group of motorists then pulled the driver out, feet first.

“I was so happy,” said Tolla, adding that everyone was relieved the man was unharmed.

Minnesota State Patrol identified the driver as Samuel Orbovich, 71, a St. Paul resident. Lt. Jill Frankfurth said Orbovich’s Honda drifted to the right of the highway and struck a light pole and then the guardrail, before catching on fire. Although no injuries were reported, the driver was taken to Regions Hospital to be evaluated.

“The State Patrol is grateful that the driver is okay due to the heroic actions of the individuals who stopped to help,” Frankfurth said. “The actions of those who pulled this motorist from the burning car demonstrates the importance and willingness of people throughout Minnesota looking out for each other.”

In a statement to The Washington Post, Orbovich thanked the people who rescued him.

“I am alive today because several Good Samaritans and professional first responders saved my life. Fred Rogers used to say that whenever someone sees something scary, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping,’” Orbovich wrote.

He explained that his air bag deployed after his car hit the lamp post and guardrail. “I came to just before a Highway Helper broke open my window and everyone pulled me to safety,” he said.

Orbovich, a lawyer who has represented caregivers in Minnesota for decades, called the rescue effort “incredibly heroic,” as people chose “to put themselves at risk by running toward the flames to extract a stranger from a burning car that could explode at any moment.”

“My family and I are incredibly grateful for these heroes,” Orbovich said. “I look forward to thanking them all in person.”

Tolla said such incidents — strangers supporting one another — happen more often than people think but are seldom caught on video.

“We come together when help is needed,” he said.

McGill University, BA

Columbia University, MS in journalism 

Sydney Page is a staff reporter who writes for The Washington Post’s Inspired Life section, a collection of stories about humanity. She has been a contributor to The Post since 2018.

Sydney Page

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SUV was in flames on Minnesota highway. Strangers saved the driver.  

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