Sometimes it seems like the world is full of evil. When we watch the news, it’s just story after story of murder and mayhem. Sometimes, however, we see something that restores our faith in the goodness of humanity. This is one such story.
Recently in Toronto, a 36-year-old man suffered a medical emergency and crashed his vehicle. The vehicle caught fire and the man was stuck inside. Five men came to his rescue, risking their own lives in the process. Two of the men described what happened, which was all caught on video.
Ben Sykes and Fabricio Lauar had never met before, but the daring rescue they mounted along with three other men has given them a shared experience they’ll never forget, reports CBC News. Sykes and Lauar were both driving to work when they saw a vehicle crash into the median. Sykes said he got out of his car to try and help. “You know there’s danger; you’re constantly evaluating that on top of trying to get this guy out,” he said.
Sykes tried to break the window with his elbow and foot but wasn’t successful. Lauar stopped too, saw that the driver was unconscious, and went to his car to call 911. He said, “We had to get him out at that moment, a couple of seconds [the vehicle] would’ve exploded.”
The men tried repeatedly to break the glass without success. Then, a man in a dump truck drove past and threw them a hammer. They were able to break the glass with the hammer and got the man out, just in the nick of time, before the whole car went up in flames.
About his rescue efforts, Sykes said, “I didn’t really think about it; you sort of just jump out and help. In the back of my mind, I was thinking at some point I may have to peel out, but you’re just focused on the next thing.”
“There was no hesitation, it was fight or flight,” Lauar said. “If that was you, you’d want someone to save you.” They said the driver later called them to let them know he was recovering and thankful for their help.
Have you seen the almost fully intact baby wooly mammoth just discovered near Alaska?
Those are the kinds of people you hope are around when you get in a bind. They didn’t hesitate to stop and assist, even though they knew they were in grave danger. Do you think you would have stopped and done what they did?
