ALGONA, Wash. — A good Samaritan rescued two toddlers from a burning car Tuesday morning on southbound State Route 67 near Algona.
The car lost power so Howard used his truck to push it to the shoulder.
It was about 3:40 a.m. There was so much smoke he couldn't see there were two toddlers in car seats trapped in the backseat.
Howard worked to get the 11-month-old.
"I'm trying to get the seatbelt off of the car seat and it's filled with smoke,” he said. “I can't breathe."
The driver, who was caring for the boys while their mom was at work, went to get the 2-year-old from the other side.
Seconds after the toddlers were safe the entire car erupted in flames.
Ronald Williams was caring for the little boys. He'd just dropped off their mother at work in Renton and was headed back to Auburn. He didn't know the car was on fire until Howard told him.
"When it burst into flames I was like, ‘Oh my God, let me get these kids up out of this car," said Williams, still shaken hours later. "The Lord was with us this time.”
“When heard that the car blew up, I felt sick to my stomach,” said Danielle Clark, the mother of the two boys. “There were so many people that drove past, and saw that car smoking. He didn’t even have to stop, he didn’t see the kids in there or anything just… thank you, thank you so much!”
Howard, a father of two, was headed home from work. After the toddlers were out of the car he called 911. Later, he took Williams and the toddlers home to Auburn. He already had a car seat in his truck.
Howard says it was a “matter of seconds” and this would have ended differently. He is thankful he was there to help: "Thank God, Thank God."
The toddlers were not hurt. Clark said she plans to personally thank Howard for saving her little boys as soon as possible.
Cox Media Group
