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ELKHART -- A man said he's thankful for the stranger who freed him from a burning car following a crash west of Elkhart Monday.
"I'm very grateful for him being there at the right time at the right place," said Joseph Dow, after a crash left him trapped in an overturned car on fire Monday afternoon.
Dow, who suffered a few cuts to his hand, declined to comment on the details of the crash but said he was "boggled, scared" over the close call.
Witnesses at the scene said a car, westbound on Old U.S. 33, hit the bottom of a flatbed trailer attached to a pickup truck that was parked off the north shoulder of the roadway near Spring Avenue. The car ramped off the trailer and over the truck and an eastbound vehicle before landing on its roof and sliding at least 10 feet.
Those details are consistent with information gathered within a couple hours of the crash, according to the responding officer with the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department, but he said the case is still under investigation.
Mike Bess, who was visiting Raines Auto Sales and Resale Shop, heard the crash and saw a man trapped in the car, which had caught fire.
"He couldn't get out of the car, and I remembered I had my knife on me," Bess said.
Bess said he ran over to the burning car and used his pocketknife to cut the seatbelt, freeing the man, who seemed to have only suffered a few cuts.
"It could've been a lot worse," Bess said.
