VIDEO: Dramatic rescue after fiery crash involving Metro bus in South LA
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Dramatic video captured Good Samaritans rescuing people trapped in a car after a fiery crash involving a Metro bus in South Los Angeles on Monday.
Instagram user "IAmSteele" sent ABC7 the video using #abc7eyewitness.
Officials said the crash happened at South Western Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at about 6:30 p.m.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said two Los Angeles police officers and Good Samaritans were able to pull two people, a man and a woman, from a burning Mercedes Benz before fire crews arrived.
Everett Sperling and Jamie Turner put their own lives at risk to help the badly burned victims inside the burning vehicle.
"The car was on fire and we couldn't get the windows busted open," Sperling said. "We were using a hammer and eventually we pulled the people out through the window."
"It was just a reaction, wasn't really even a thought. It was just, 'Oh, you got to help somebody.' I wouldn't want to see nobody on fire. I would want people to react the same way if I was on fire," Turner said.
The victims were pulled from the burning car before a natural gas tank on the Metro bus exploded, shooting flames into the air.
At least seven people were injured, according to fire officials.
The fire department said six people were taken to the hospital, including two in critical condition.
The driver of the Mercedes Benz suffered third-degree burns, according to officials.
The crash damaged the Metro bus, the Mercedes Benz and three other vehicles.
According to officials, the driver was the only person on the bus at the time of the crash.
"Although this is a tragedy, it could've been much worse and we're very fortunate that the bus was empty when that incident occurred," Sgt. Barry Montgomery with the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Firefighters were able to bring the flames under control quickly.
Police were trying to determine what caused the crash.
