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NEWCASTLE, Wash. — A man is in the hospital recovering after he was pried from a burning car.
It happened on October 9 just after 5 p.m.
The King County Sheriff’s Department says the car caught on fire after the driver crashed on Newcastle Golf Club Road and 136th Avenue Southeast.
When law enforcement arrived, members of the community were trying to put out the flames using fire extinguishers and stopping passing cars to ask if they had extras.
Deputies stepped in, trying to remove the driver from the vehicle. They were able to cut the man’s seat belt, but the door was stuck.
Firefighters pried it open while law enforcement used extinguishers on the passenger side of the vehicle to keep the flames away from the driver.
According to Bellevue Fire, the driver’s legs and feet were badly burned, to the point where the injuries were life-threatening.
Two deputies suffered minor injuries but declined medical treatment.
The man’s sister sent a message to the Newcastle Chief of Police, thanking them for their hard work:
“Tell them Thank you sooo much do saving my brother!!!!! He is doing better but it’s going to be a long road of healing. He has 12% body is 3rd degree burnt 6 broken ribs Ruptured bladder 3 level smoke damage of his lungs Knee is just… open. But he is alive!
He was in a medically induced coma until Saturday. He is in Harborview Hospital ICU. So far 3 surgeries and many more to come. But thank god you guys all got him out! He is very dearly loved. Please let everyone know the family appreciates all of out of the car in the fire !!!”
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.