Local news outlets have labeled a Virginia bishop a “hero” for pulling a young boy from a fiery wreck on the highway after a dump truck collided head-on with an SUV.
Bishop John Adonteng Boateng of Divine World International Ministries in Woodbridge was heading down I-459 with his wife when he witnessed the garbage truck blow a tire, cross into the inner-loop lanes, and crash into a car carrying a mother and son, Fox 5 DC reported.
The collision occurred at around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Boateng did not waste any time after seeing the SUV burst into flames, as he immediately pulled over and leaped out of his vehicle to help.
While the woman was able to exit the burning car, a video obtained by the news outlet shows the bishop rescuing the little boy from the flames.
As he carries the child away from the dangerous scene, the dramatic video shows the boy’s burned clothes and visibly shaken composure.
When asked what he had been thinking at that moment, Boateng said, “I’m going to save a life.”
“There was nothing. I could have died. This could have been my end, but my passion was to help. God used me to give him a second chance,” the bishop said, adding that he simply followed his instincts.
“There were so many explosions, but I didn’t even pay attention to that. My first instinct was to reach out and help that poor little child.”
Both the mother and the son were transported to the hospital with serious injuries but are expected to survive, according to the outlet.
The driver of the dump truck also had a child passenger in the car, according to Maryland State Police. They were transported to a hospital, but no updates on their conditions were noted.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, police added.
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