Was it a firefighter or Superman driving that fire truck? A most unusual save in Chicago.
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From Chicago yesterday morning a truly unique rescue by the man behind the wheel of Truck 24. His name is Mike Hill and he has been on the job for 22-years, is the father of six and, according to an article by Rosemary Sobol at SunTimes.com, has some martial-arts training.
At 10:30 AM Truck 24 was returning to quarters after a house fire on the South Side. Hill watched an 18-wheeler blow a red light and hit an SUV with two adults and three children inside. After the collision the SUV kept moving down the street. The driver’s foot was apparently jammed against the gas pedal.
Sobol picks up the rest of the story:
Hill got out of the fire truck and ran after the SUV. About 60 feet down the street, he caught up.
“He actually ran this car down,” said fire Capt. Rich Gustafson, Hill’s supervisor. “He stepped on the running board, and he was actually riding along on the side. He reached in, and the gal was slumped over on the console, uttering, ‘Oh my god!’ It was quick thinking and actions on his part.”
“I jumped into the moving SUV, the door was wide open,” he said. “I jumped onto the emergency brake and held on until it slowed down.”
It was the emergency foot brake, near the floor of the driver’s side, that Hill slammed down with his hand to stop the Tahoe.
“With an accident of that nature, you’re not sure if it’s going to work, but you have to try,” said Hill, who then tried to calm down the “hysterical” driver with the help of a bystander.
The 18-wheeler had crushed the passenger side of the Tahoe, pinning in the woman in the front passenger seat. Firefighters rescued the driver and the kids, and then used the Jaws of Life to remove the woman in the front.
The passenger was listed in critical condition and the driver and three children were in serious condition.
