Witness jumps into action when DUI crash traps family in burning car

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. -- A family from Arkansas was rescued from their burning car Saturday night thanks to a group of bystanders.

Water bottles littered the scene after they were used to extinguish an engine fire that scorched the ground. With the fire department 15 minutes away, witnesses say they knew they had to do something to help.

Debris still litters the scene of the accident on Highway 137. A baby's shoe and pacifier flung out of the car during the frenzied rescue.

"There was smoke, dirt, dust, and seeing the car on fire, I just instinctively put my truck in park and jumped out," said Holly Ford of Lindsay.

Ford saw a trail of dust on her way home Saturday night. On the ground, lay a man begging for help.

"As a wife and mother myself, I just thought I need to help her if that was my husband laying there," she said.

Officers say DUI driver drifted into the wrong lane, flipping an oncoming SUV on its back. Trapped inside were two children along with a woman.

With first responders miles away, a group of drivers started dousing the fire with water and dirt.

"When I kicked the window in, it was already shattered, and I kicked in on the driver's side," Ford said.

Holly says in the moment, she didn't feel the glass cutting into her hand or worry about the fact the car could possibly explode. She didn't think that the car could possibly explode.

"I hope that other people when they hear about this or see about this, don't just drive by and wonder are they okay?" she said.

Because stopping and asking a simple question can leave a permanent mark on someone fighting for survival.