Homeless Man Proclaimed Hero After Pulling Drivers from Burning Wreck
A brave panhandler in Colorado is being hailed a hero after witnessing a horrific semi-truck crash and leaping into action to rescue victims from their vehicles.
According to NBC News, the story began on a stretch of Denver, Colorado, interstate on April 25. Video blogger Josh McCutchen had a camera trained on him as he drove down I-70.
Suddenly, a semi flashed passed him. “All the sudden that semi truck just about blew the doors off the side [of my vehicle],” he said.
“I was just looking back like, ‘What the heck was that? Where did that come from?’ And then I looked forward and just see plumes of black smoke.”
The driver of the semi, 23-year-old Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, plowed into traffic, killing four people and injuring many more in a fiery crash. All the while, panhandler Darin Barton was watching.
However, KDVR reported that Barton did more than simply stare at the blaze in stunned horror. Instead, he leaped into action.
“As soon as it rolled over, it just caught on fire,” he said, describing the semi. “And I just dropped my sign, took off running.”
“As soon as I [saw] flames, I headed under the bridge, grabbed three or four people out of a couple cars.” Though most were trying to escape the burning, Barton emphasized that he wasn’t the only one trying to help.
Other good Samaritans were also coming to the aid of the injured. “I just did what I hoped anybody would’ve done if I was sitting down there,” he said.
Barton said that he became homeless due to accident. He was injured in 2014 in an incident involving a light-rail car.
A man named Dan Bass has started a GoFundMe campaign to aid Barton. The current goal is $10,000.
“Homeless Hero Darin Barton was on the corner panhandling when the accident occurred and ran into the flames and successfully saved the lives of multiple individuals who were trapped in their vehicles,” he wrote. “This hero not only deserves the support, but needs it!
“I have this man’s information in order for him to receive any donations. If you’d like to personally thank him he will be on that same corner most likely every day.”
KDVR has also created an Amazon wish list filled with gift cards to fast food restaurants and prepaid Visa cards for Barton’s benefit. The news station will ensure that Barton receives any gift given for him.
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