The young man who crashed his truck into a tree Tuesday night is
alive thanks to two good Samaritans who risked their lives to pull
him to safety.
The young man who crashed his truck into a tree Tuesday night is alive thanks to two good Samaritans who risked their lives to pull him to safety.
Kiki Martinez, 28, and his stepfather Ray Dominguez, 52, were on their way to Costco to purchase a plasma television when a blue, older model Chevrolet pickup truck sped past them on Monterey Road, headed for the southbound U.S. 101 on-ramp, veered off the road and smashed headfirst into a 50-foot tree. The tree and the truck went up in flames.
“He swerved and looked like he was going to correct it but then ‘Bam!’ into the tree,” Martinez said of the crash. No skid marks were left behind on the road, only two tracks cut through the grass. Martinez and Dominguez stopped their car and raced to the truck where the man was wedged, unconscious, between the steering wheel and his seat, Martinez said. Running on adrenaline, the pair worked quickly, Martinez dialing 911 on his cell phone, while his stepfather worked to pull the man free as flames engulfed the truck.
Frustrated with the 911 dispatcher, Martinez tossed his phone to another bystander to complete the call and hurried to help his struggling stepfather.
“I don’t want my stepdad to die,” he said. “My mom would kill me.”
Dominguez yanked the man from the burning truck and laid him on the ground. Martinez pulled him about 50 yards away from the vehicle as it erupted in flames.
“It all went so quick it was amazing,” Martinez said. “If we hadn’t been there at that moment, that guy would have burned. My stepdad saved his life.”
Soon after, California Highway Patrol and firefighters arrived.
“It spread really quick,” Sgt. Steve Temple of CHP said. Within 15 minutes, the truck’s teal color had changed to a scuffed gray, the tires had popped and the taillights were melted.
The blaze spread to the tree and sent flames 40 feet into the air.
CHP concluded the man was under the influence of alcohol.
CHP arrested Hollister resident Irineo Gonzalez Martinez, 23, on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
