ELLICOTT - Thanks to the swift actions of an unknown man, another was pulled from his burning car Friday afternoon, escaping with only minor injuries following a three-car accident on Route 60.
According to a preliminary investigation by New York State Police at the scene, around 4:30 p.m., a man driving a black Dodge Neon was traveling south behind a woman driving a white Chevy Trailblazer on Route 60 near Horton Road. The woman apparently slowed or stopped to make a left turn onto Horton Road and the driver of the Neon rear-ended the SUV, with the impact sending it a couple hundred feet up the road.
Following the impact, the Neon's engine compartment burst into flames and the vehicle was stuck in the rear by a northbound vehicle.
Article Photos
Emergency personnel help extinguish a car fire on Route 60 in Ellicott on Friday afternoon.
Submitted photos
The Fluvanna Volunteer Fire Department quickly responded to the scene, extinguished the fire and with additional support from Falconer and Gerry volunteer fire departments, the driver of the Neon and a woman also involved in the crash were taken to the hospital with reportedly minor injuries.
The Neon was completely destroyed, with the fire finishing what the two collisions it sustained started. According to a trooper at the scene, had the driver not been pulled out of the vehicle so quickly by the unidentified man, the situation could have ended much differently.
For a few minutes, traffic was backed up for miles on each side of the crash site, until volunteer fire police were able to arrive and re-direct the vehicles away from the scene.
The investigation into the accident is ongoing and charges may be filed, based on the findings of the troopers.