TORONTO — A man suffered serious injuries when his vehicle ran over a curb, crashed into a tree and burst into flames.
The 39-year-old man was trapped in his vehicle and suffered serious burns to his legs before responders arrived, CP24 reports.
Bystander David Wagg witnessed the crash, and tried to pull the unconscious driver out of the vehicle.
“When I got there the car had started to catch fire,” he told CTV News. “His legs were on fire and I tried to bash open the windows. Someone pulled over and handed me a hatchet and I was smashing through the windows.”
Wagg said other drivers that pulled over to help had fire extinguishers in their vehicles, and they were able to keep the flames under control until firefighters arrived. Paramedics were able to pull the driver out of the car before it went up in flames.
“We could hear all these pops and bangs coming out of the car,” Wagg said. “The car was fully engulfed, so I guess we were lucky to get him out.”
One of the bystanders suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. A paramedic was also treated for smoke inhalation.
The collision occurred around 8:20 a.m. in Scarborough and the cause of the crash is under investigation.