Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST VALLEY CITY -- It may have been a lot worse for a driver whose car burst into flames on a freeway Tuesday afternoon if not for a man who decided to stop and help the woman.
Jason Day says when he saw the car burning, he had to do something. "That car is really on fire, and there's somebody in it. We need to get her out of there," he thought to himself.
Day, who works at a car wash, says he had just got off work Tuesday and was heading home on Interstate 215 near 4700 South on the west side when he saw an accident, then flames.
"I've seen those shows where cars explode," Day said, but he also knew he couldn't just leave.
"It would've been easier, yes," Day said. "But at the same time, there was a woman in the car, and you just can't leave somebody in a car that's on fire."
It just so happens the name of the business where Day works is the FireHouse. Day still had his work shirt on, which has a logo that looks like one from a fire department.
Day says people at the accident scene thought he was a fireman. "‘You're a fireman?' [they asked.] No, I just work at a car wash," he said.
Even still, he knew enough to help the woman out of the burning car and get as far away as possible.
Day's boss was smiling when he found out. "It makes me so happy and so proud of Jason, that he would stop and help someone who needed a hand," said Dow Jones, owner of FireHouse Car Wash & Detail.
The woman is OK; Day is just happy he was there to help. "Hopefully that karma will come around to help me out some day," he chuckled.
We have not been able to contact the woman yet, and neither has Day. He says he would like to talk to her and see how she's doing.
The FireHouse is thinking about donating some proceeds of their sales to her if she needs it.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
