VIDEO: Good Samaritans rescue driver of overturned pickup truck on I-88
OAK BROOK, Ill. (WLS) -- A group of good Samaritans came to the rescue of a driver of a pickup truck that flipped over on I-88 in west suburban Oak Brook Monday morning.
The driver, 32-year-old Orlando Hernandez, said he felt a strong presence that kept him safe Monday morning. He was safe at home and surrounded by family Monday night.
He has a few scrapes and cuts, but his glasses are still intact despite the terrifying crash.
"In that second, like, I already knew what was going to happen," he said.
Exclusive video from Chopper 7HD shows the maroon Ford Ranger pickup truck turning over after a tire blowout in the westbound lanes of the Reagan Memorial Tollway near the York road exit at about 6:47 a.m.
VIDEO: Pickup truck flips over on I-88
"I just remember flipping and I just saw the glass coming at me," Hernandez said.
He said after he heard the tire pop, he braced for impact.
"It felt like a ride, basically, just going around," he said.
And it was nothing compared to what could have happened.
"If you go back to the video right here, as I am turning right here and I flip, this guy could have easily hit me right here," he noted. "Afterwards I just heard one person telling me, 'Are you okay? Are you conscious?' I said, 'Yeah, I am conscious.'"
The construction worker said he then spotted several people surrounding his pickup. A group of good Samaritans, including several construction workers, got out of their cars and flipped the pickup truck back on its side.
VIDEO: Good Samaritans flip over pickup truck on I-88
Hernandez knows how differently it may have turned out if not for them.
"Honestly, I probably would have... probably would have got stuck there and died," he said.
Those strangers quickly became his guardian angels.
"You know how there's terrible things happening and people lose faith in things, faith in the world? But seeing that, that sort of restores that goodness in your heart," Hernandez said.
Tom Meyers was leaving his full time firefighting job in Rosemont to his part-time firefighting job in Aurora Township when he came upon the crash. Meyers pulled up after the pickup truck had been pushed up on its passenger side and rushed into action.
"At that point, I knew we had to get the windshield and try to cut the seatbelt," Meyers said.
VIDEO: Good Samaritans help driver out of overturned pickup truck on I-88
Using the tools from the construction workers, Tom and the others broke the windshield and tore off the driver's seatbelt, freeing him.
"He was standing there and he said, 'I want to get out,'" Meyers said. "I said we should probably wait for the fire department to show up and that's when he proceeded to jump out the window."
The group, realizing he was OK, started to cheer. That's when fire crews and an ambulance from Oak Brook arrived and transported the driver to an area hospital.
"Anytime you see like that happen you always have that urge to help," Meyers said.
Hernandez told Meyers he is lucky to be alive and made sure to thank everyone that helped.
"He was grateful, he was lucky. He said I'm lucky to be alive after that happened, it was crazy. I said yeah, but I'm glad you're OK," Meyers said.
