Birthday girl among 2 good Samaritans who rescue driver after fiery wreck on I-55 ramp

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Sunday, June 6, 2021
Bystanders rescue driver after fiery wreck
A woman went from birthday girl to life-saver in seconds after jumping in action to help save a driver from a fiery wreck.

DARIEN, Ill. (WLS) -- Two good Samaritans stopped to help pull a driver from a fiery wreck Saturday.

One of the rescuers was a woman who went from birthday girl to life-saver in a matter of seconds after she jumped in to help when she saw the crash on her way to work.

The crash happened just before 7 a.m. on the Cass Avenue ramp to the southbound lanes of I-55 in southwest suburban Darien, according to police.

RELATED: Woman miraculously uninjured after car plunges off overpass in Wisconsin

She said she and another man were helping the driver get out of the passenger side window when flames erupted on the driver's side of the wrecked vehicle.

"I was scared for his life mostly, so, I wasn't really thinking, but you do what you can when you see something like that," said Nicole Difatta, who helped rescue the driver.

No one was hurt, however, the driver was arrested. Police said they suspect alcohol played a role in the crash.

The Darien Police Department is investigating.