Car crashes can be devastating. In worst-case scenarios, a vehicle can catch on fire — creating devastating injuries or claiming lives. Fortunately, emergency teams — and helpful Good Samaritans — often save people who are in dangerous positions.
Take, for example, this story out of Valdosta. A local teen is now being called a hero after saving a fellow student who was trapped in a vehicle that had caught on fire. The teen wrecked her vehicle after it suddenly lost its power steering. She said she panicked, and she hit the gas instead of the brake. That caused her to drive into a utility pole.
The teen found that her driver’s side door was stuck, and she couldn’t get through the passenger door, either, because of a broken window and shattered glass. Fortunately, two of her fellow students were nearby. They ran to the scene to help, and they were able to get the teenager out of her vehicle just moments before it caught on fire.
The good news about this is that the driver did survive the incident, but accidents like these still present many questions. For example, if a defect in the vehicle or one of its parts caused the loss of power steering, then the crash may not be entirely the driver’s fault. The driver may want to pursue a claim against a manufacturer. If the problem was related to something like a shoddy repair job, the victim may have a claim against the repair shop.
Anybody who is injured in a car wreck that they don’t believe is their fault should consider speaking with an attorney. It’s always wise to explore your options for compensation when you’ve suffered painful injuries and financial losses.