A 68-year-old lady is in stable condition after being rescued from a flaming automobile that crashed early Sunday morning on a New York roadway, authorities said.
The incident occurred soon after 4 a.m., when Chester Police Department units and other emergency responders were alerted to a complaint of a vehicle fire on Kings Highway near Knapps View Park, according to a police statement.
When officials got on the site, they discovered that the driver was still stuck in the vehicle, which had been devoured by flames, police added.
“Officer Nicholas Contino was the first police officer to arrive on the scene,” authorities stated. “He handed over his fire extinguisher to a passing motorist and sought to identify the operator within the vehicle. He managed to break the sunroof glass and remove her from the vehicle. She was rescued from the vehicle and away from the fire by two passing motorists and an Empress EMS paramedic.
The woman driving the automobile has not been identified by authorities, but officials did indicate she was a 68-year-old Warwick, New York resident who had burns on nearly a third of her body.
The victim was immediately transported to Westchester Medical Center’s Burn Unit and is currently in stable condition.
“Officer Contino’s effort greatly increased the motorist’s chances for survival and he is commended for a job well done,” investigators reported.
Reference: Police rescue 68-year-old woman from burning car on New York highway