3 rescue teens from burning car

2/21/2010
By TIM UNRUH
Salina Journal


Firefighters work to extiguish a burning car that was involved in an accident at the intersection of Waterwell Road and Holmes Road on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010. (photo by Jeff Coopper/ Salina Journal)


Firefighters move an injured man from a wrecked pickup to an ambulance after an accident at Holmes Road and Waterwell Road on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010. (photo by Jeff Cooper/ Salina Journal)


Orville Clinton was nearing home Saturday when he noticed a wrecked car in a pasture and injured people in need.

"A young boy was yelling, 'Help, we're on fire,' " Clinton said.

He was first to arrive after a car and pickup truck collided at the corner of Holmes and Water Well two miles southeast of Salina.

Four people were injured, but it would be hours before Saline County Sheriff's deputies could unravel what had occurred shortly before 2 p.m.

Clinton ran to the pasture, where he saw Tanner Porter, 18, of 241 N. Ohio, the driver, lying over the passenger seat. Under him, as rescuers would later learn, was Tyler Sunderlin, also 18, of 801 S. Fifth.

"(Porter) kept asking for Tyler. I didn't see him. The air bag had gone off," Clinton said.

He called 911 on his cell phone and reported the crash to a dispatcher, who insisted that Porter not be moved.

But a small fire in the engine compartment brought a sense of urgency.

By then, Jay Huscher, who had heard the crash from his garage two doors east of the intersection, had come to investigate and was attempting to smother the fire with a piece of debris from the wreck, Clinton said. It didn't work.

"Then the car started burning more. The dispatcher was telling us to wait on the first responders because (Porter) could have head injuries," Clinton said. "I said, 'Well, the car's on fire. We gotta get him out.' "

In the process, they saw Sunderlin, who was underneath Porter, his legs pinned under the dash.

"I actually thought he was dead -- he was motionless," Clinton said. "His seat belt was still on. Me and Jay were trying to pull him out. We pulled him out of his shoes. The right side of the car was smashed."

Troy Reinert, who also happened onto the scene, pulled the passenger door away, Clinton said, making the rescue easier.

Flames continued to grow, spewing gray and black smoke and surrounding the rescuers and the victim.

"The flames were starting to really get heavy. I was worried the gas tank was going to blow up," Clinton said. "We got (Sunderlin) away from there and it really got to burning."

Then, to the surprise and relief of the men, they noticed Sunderlin was breathing.

The three men, and quickly others, helped paramedics, firefighters and Saline County Sheriff's officers, who arrived and took charge of the scene.

About 20 yards away was the truck. Greg Dupes, 55, of 5100 E. Farrelly Road, was pinned inside, and his wife, Connie, 54, was injured.

"There were some other people over there trying to help them," Clinton said, including his wife, Althea.

Sheriff's Lt. Roger Soldan said at 5 p.m. Saturday that all four people involved in the crash -- Porter, Sunderlin and the Dupeses -- were stable at Salina Regional Health Center.

Huscher said he was in his garage when the small car and pickup truck collided. He didn't see it, but he heard it.

"It sounded nasty," Huscher told his wife, Michele, as they watched the aftermath in a light snow.

"I came to the edge of the driveway, saw there was a wreck and called 911," Jay Huscher said.

Reinert said he was driving north on Holmes Road when he saw the car going southbound "at an extremely high rate of speed" before the crash.

He and his father, Marvin Reinert, were returning to Marvin's home with a trailer load of firewood.

"We encountered them right at the top of a hill and were very taken aback by the rate of speed in which they were driving," Troy Reinert said.

The Reinerts changed trucks and followed, finding the wreck scene. Troy joined in the rescue.

As officers pieced together the crash, it was determined the car was moving north when it hit the westbound pickup truck. Holmes Road changes from pavement to gravel at the intersection with Water Well to the south. Traffic on Holmes Road is supposed to stop at Water Well, Clinton said.

"My assumption is they were just out joyriding and decided this paved road is a good place to go really fast," Troy Reinert said.

Saline County District Five rural firefighters contained the blaze to the car, where nearly everything but metal was burned.

The pasture, owned by the Land Institute contained about 30 buffalo, but "they were a long way off," said Wes Jackson, founder and president.

The citizen rescuers were happy with the outcome.

"I know they've got some injuries, but at least they didn't perish in the car," Clinton said. "I'