A Massachusetts woman survived a fiery wreck after her car crashed into a fuel tanker in East Boston on Wednesday after a stranger pulled over and intervened.
The tanker was carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline down the northbound side of Route 1A at 3:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to WCVB. The car struck the piping beneath the tanker, sparking a massive explosion. The surveillance camera footage of the collision is startling. The explosion was so bright and intense that it overwhelmed the camera’s sensor and produced a black-and-white image. Despite the fireball’s size, at least ten gallons of gasoline ended up in the soil or the roadway’s drainage system.
The driver was identified as 25-year-old Sabrina Ouldzenagui. Her father Omar gave WCVB an update on her condition:
Omar Ouldzenagui said his daughter was driving home from work when the crash happened and that first responders told him she could not open the doors of her car, leaving her stuck inside the burning vehicle.
Sabrina is not talking much and has severe burns to the right side of her body from her arms down to her legs, according to her father. She is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“When you see the video, it’s very scary. You don’t think she’s still alive,” Omar Ouldzenagui said. “Thank God she’s alive. Thanks to the fire department and all the other people who helped his daughter survive.”
An eyewitness watched as the stranger take off his jacket and use it to smother the flames on the driver, according to WBZ. The roadway was eventually reopened later that day, but the crash’s cause is still under investigation. Sabrina and the eyewitness never got the name of the stranger who rushed towards the flames. It was an incredible act of selflessness to save someone’s life and then just go about your day like usual.