Kelly Winters, a nurse at Providence Hospital in South Carolina, was on his way to work on Wednesday, when he was involved in a fiery 10-vehicle pileup on Interstate 26 in Columbia. A tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline reportedly sideswiped a police cruiser, leading to the massive wreck.
After escaping his vehicle unharmed, Kelly heard cries for help coming from the burning tanker truck. He immediately sprang into action, kicking in the windshield of the tanker. His clothes caught fire, but he continued to break the windshield, until he was able to grab the truck driver and pull her to safety.
Shortly after pulling her free, the truck’s gas tank set off a chain of explosions — four to six in total. The driver of the rig made it out with only minor injuries thanks to Kelly’s bravery.
Amazingly, there were no fatalities in the fiery pileup. Winters, however, did lose several possessions in the crash, including an engagement ring for his wife.
When asked about his brave act, he told reporters he did what he would want someone else to do: “I would want someone to grab my wife out of the car. How could I not be there when somebody else needed it?”