Two New York City EMTs are being hailed for their fast actions after a fiery blaze almost engulfed a driver following a single car crash, the department said.
In a Feb. 20 post shared on Instagram, the New York City Fire Department celebrated the heroics of EMTs Libby Basquez and Lucy Conway, who pulled a driver from a burning car after it crashed into a fire hydrant in Queens last week, fire officials said.
The department's post included a photo of the fiery scene, as well as Basquez and Conway's accounts of the rescue.
“We were on Northern Boulevard, and we noticed a car driving into oncoming traffic, which eventually jumped the curb and crashed into a fire hydrant,” Basquez said.
The department’s Instagram post included a photo of the two colleagues standing in front of an FDNY ambulance. A second image showed what appeared to be the front of a car being ravaged by flames.
“We positioned the ambulance and got out to assess the situation. The car had already begun smoking, the driver was disoriented and began stepping on the gas pedal, that’s when the car burst into flames,” Basquez said.
Basquez said she hurried to see if there were any passengers in the back of the vehicle and then noticed that its driver was slumped over.
“At this time, the car was filling with heavy smoke. The driver door was stuck, but we were able to pull the door open and pull the driver out,” she explained. “We then began to provide patient care to the driver of the car.”
At the same time, Conway said, the two worked to keep other drivers and pedestrians out of the way of the smoky scene.
“When we noticed the erratic driver, we did all we could do alert other motorists and pedestrians that may have been on the sidewalk,” she explained. “Once the driver crashed, we were able to quickly size up the scene, call for additional resources, and work quickly to remove the individual from the vehicle.”
Commenters on Instagram cheered Basquez and Conway for their bravery and lauded them for a job well done.
“Outstanding work, sisters,” one user wrote. “FDNY Rocks.”
“Great job, ladies! God bless you guys, they were lucky you guys were close by!”
“Heroes!!! God bless and Thank you,” another replied.
In October 2022, Maryland firefighter Megan Warfield received national attention after she helped rescue victims involved in a multi-car crash while she was nine months pregnant.
During an appearance on TODAY, Warfield explained that the accident had likely induced her into labor. She had crawled on the ground to help one victim, she said.
“I don’t know how I did what I did because the cramping was so bad,” Warfield told TODAY. “I must’ve just been running on adrenaline.”
