Man Sees Car Flipped Upside Down in Icy Ditch, Hears Teens Screaming for Help
How many times have we seen an accident on the side of the road and driven by? It’s assumed those involved are able to call emergency responders themselves, and perhaps they’re even already on their way.
But for this particular teenage couple in Kentville, Nova Scotia, help was not on the way. They were in serious trouble, and had a young father not intervened, they may have frozen to death.
On Feb. 2, Alex Pineo and Cassidy Jones flipped their car on Church Street and landed in a service ditch filled with icy water.
It was filling the car quickly and the teens were screaming for help when carpenter Richard Kirk saw the inverted car on his drive home from work.
‘Angel’ who pulled teens from car wreckage says he’s no superhero https://t.co/KgHLozNmu0 pic.twitter.com/uzuWPouJQe
— CBC Nova Scotia (@CBCNS) February 7, 2018
Kirk reported to CNC News afterwards, “I didn’t know if I could hear somebody or not. I thought it might be the wind howling.”
He pulled to the side of the road and got out to evaluate the scene.
He yelled out to hear if anyone was inside, and they were able to communicate with him. Kirk said, “They were saying, ‘Help, help, help! Get us out. There’s water around here.'”
Kirk called 911 immediately, and then waded into the icy water. The couple was trapped, and there was only one way out. Kirk sprang into action.
“I put my feet against the bank, and my back against the car, and rocked the car enough that I could get the driver’s side rear door open.”
He was able to head home following the event with slightly damp socks and late for dinner. He apologized to his wife and told her why, and she was amazed.
Kirk said, “So I told her the story of what happened. And she said. ‘Huh! You’re a hero.’ Well, I guess you could call it that. I’m just happy they’re alright. Happy to help.”
In all the activity following the rescue, Pineo and his girlfriend were unaware of who had saved them.
Pineo posted on Facebook that night, “I flipped my vehicle on church street in Kentville Silver Subaru Impreza. I’m looking for the man who busted out the back window to help me and girlfriend Cassidy Jones get out of the car that was filling with water. He is a hero.”
The couple was able to connect with Kirk on Feb. 5 and express gratitude for his bravery.
Kirk told reporters, “It’s not like I’m a superhero or nothing. I’m just happy they’re alright.”
An incredible story from a humble man. Carpenters have quite the reputation for heroism, and it’s wonderful to see that legacy continued by Richard Kirk.
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