Alberto Ortega, during a routine day delivering food, didn’t expect that he would save two teenagers from a fiery crash. On July 3 at around 8:19 a.m., a Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by a 16-year-old crossed the double line at the Isle of Palms Connector in South Carolina and crashed head-on against a Toyota SUV. Ortega saw the accident and watched the truck roll onto its side, catching fire as several passengers were stuck inside. That’s when the 29-year-old sprung into action.
29-year-old rescuer sustained injuries while saving the teenagers
In an interview with ABC 4, Ortega was initially caught off-guard by the sudden car crash in front of him.
“In my mind, it happened like a movie,” he said. “For a moment, I had to stop the car to see what the situation was and what was really happening. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I ran to the car that the lady was in. It was like a quick movie, and at first I didn’t know what to do.”
The 29-year-old tried to break the windshield of the pickup truck, according to a report for The Post and Courier, but he wasn’t able to break the shatter-resistant glass. Fortunately by then, other people joined him in the effort to rescue the trapped passengers.
That’s when Ortega decided to climb on top of the vehicle and open the side door. Despite the scorching heat of the flames during a day that had already reached 90 degrees, he managed to pull the passengers through.
“It crossed my mind that the truck could also explode while I was up here trying to get them out,” he recalled. “At one point, when I was trying to open the passenger door in the back to get the other person out, I realized that part of him was resting on top of the gas tank. As soon as we got him out, I just jumped to try to get away.”
However, he almost got himself trapped in the effort. “When one of the teenagers got out, I tried to jump out of the car, but my foot got stuck. I was so scared, but I was able to pull my foot out and jump.”
Ortega didn’t realize the injuries he sustained at first and that he was “losing a lot of blood.” While the teenagers were taken in the ambulance, he drove himself to the nearest hospital.
A picture from a GoFundMe shows that he suffered a large laceration to his left forearm, an injury that “will keep him out of work while he recovers.” Thankfully, the fund has already raised over $20,000 in support of his recovery.
Family members of the teenagers have reached out to Ortega to thank him for his rescue and also offered to help cover his medical expenses.
