A hero who helped pull a driver from a fiery wreck in Northern Virginia last week says instinct kicked in when he rushed to the burning truck.
The semitrailer was clipped by a car in the southbound lanes of Route 28. It flipped over and exploded into flames.
“While it was rolling, it was already on fire,” Mark Pembleton said. “Then it rolled to a stop, and I immediately pulled over with my kids, told them to stay in the car.”
As the flames grew – and with his children watching – Pembleton knew he needed to act fast. After calling 911 he headed toward the flames.
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“As soon as I came around the truck on fire, I could hear him yelling, ‘Help, help, help!’” Pembleton said.
The truck driver, Cesar Yepez, was engulfed in flames.
Pembleton began to meticulously pull Yepez out of the truck.
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“At certain points it, was so hot, the fire was just so much that I’d run in and grab him, I’d pull him back inches,” Pembleton said. “It was just a systematic, you know, getting inches and inches and inches.”
Soon, other bystanders helped, and eventually they rescued Yepez. Emergency crews took him to a hospital where he remains gravely injured.
For Pembleton, there was no time for fear. His 20-plus years in the Navy kicked in to save a fellow father.
“He was saying, ‘I have kids. I have kids. Please help me,’” Pembleton said. “I have to get him out of there. If he was fighting, I was fighting.”
Yepez’s family said he’s a loving husband and father of two young children.
A statement sent on behalf of the family reads in part, “The Yepez-Casucci family is extremely thankful for the love and support ... Unfortunately, there will not be an ending to this story until Cesar has made a full recovery and is back home with his family. Thank you for your continued prayer and support."
The family has set up an online fundraiser to help with medical expenses.
Pembleton, who suffered second- and third-degree burns, met the family in the hospital and said he will continue to do what he can to support them.
“Hoping, praying, everything for them, for Cesar to get better,” he said.
He said he’s dealing with pain but has returned to work.
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