A Michigan weightlifter who witnessed a car crash outside his workplace Thursday rushed into action to save a driver trapped inside his vehicle.
Ryan Belcher, 29, spotted a black Jeep Cherokee flipped over on its roof in the snow and a sedan with damage to its front end sitting 15 yards away around 4:30 p.m. on Michigan Avenue and Ridge Road in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, and called 911 before rushing over with a coworker to help a 44-year-old woman trapped inside her sedan.
Although the woman was injured and had blood on her face, she remained conscious.
Belcher then turned his attention to the Jeep, where a 36-year-old man had been pinned inside his vehicle by a sign pole.
“He was talking about his legs, how he couldn’t feel his legs,” Belcher told M Live.
“From there, I just kind of got tunnel vision,” Belcher said. “And then I grabbed the back, where the window was smashed out and lifted up and started pushing.”
Belcher, who said he has bench-pressed 530 pounds, dead-lifted 800 pounds, and squatted 950 pounds, said lifting the SUV was a unique challenge for his 350-pound body.
The professional weightlifter pushed the Jeep using nothing but his body, shoving it one to three feet while waiting for medics to help.
Both motorists were transported to local hospitals, where they remained in critical condition. No one died in the crash.
Belcher, reflecting on his heaviest lift, said he was “glad” he was in the right place at the right time.
“I like being called the Hulk, my son’s favorite is the Hulk and he always says my daddy is the Hulk,” Belcher told WXYZ. “To say I’m a hero, I don’t know. I’m glad to have been there and I was put there for a reason.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.