BRIDGTON, Maine — Two Central Maine Power workers are being hailed as heroes Friday after they rescued a man trapped inside a burning vehicle following a crash.
The charred remains of a fence and a brand new telephone pole mark the spot of Thursday’s fiery crash.
The CMP employees that rescued the driver said they’re not heroes, they were just in the right place at the right time.
“For us to be there within seconds, someone’s watching out for that gentleman,” Paul Reynolds, who rescued the trapped driver, said.
Flames erupted after a truck crashed through a telephone pole Thursday in Bridgton.
“We saw the wires bouncing in the road and the truck on its side on fire. It had just happened. The wires were still bouncing,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds and Andrew Grant said they were just heading out on a job when they saw the truck tangled in the downed wires.
It’s a scene they have seen dozens of times before, but this one was different.
“I was just looking at it as another car-pole accident. But that’s when Paul realized no one was walking around. Someone was still inside the vehicle,” Grant said.
They knew immediately the driver was trapped, and without hesitation, the pair said they just jumped out of their truck, tools in hand, to free him.
“He couldn’t get out of the rear window, so Paul kicked it out and then I smashed out the other window and Paul was right there to hoist him out that way,” Grant said.
In less than a minute, they had the man out safely.
It was a quick rescue that the pair says was instinct.
“There wasn’t a lot of thinking involved. It was more of just reaction. I focused on getting him out and Andrew got the power cut. We didn’t even talk. It just happened,” Reynolds said.
Investigators said they’re still trying to figure out what caused that crash, but the two CMP employees said they are just happy the driver is safe and out of the hospital.