'It was flaming when I pulled her out': Stranger saves woman from fiery wreck

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A car traveling on The Plaza in east Charlotte hit a pole, flipped onto Scott James’ lawn and caught fire at about 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Simone Turner, a 22-year-old CPCC student, was trapped inside the vehicle.

"I was (shaken) up kinda,” Turner said. “My adrenaline was pumping and rushing."

Surveillance video showed the vehicle on fire moments after the crash.

James saw what happened and rushed to the scene.

"It was flaming when I pulled her out. It started flaming larger after we got her out,” he said.

The 64-year-old man reached into the car and smelled gasoline.

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"It's like a fuse,” James said, adding that he knew there was no time to waste. “It's like a timer. The longer you're down there, the greater the chance you could get seriously hurt.”

James spent most of his working life in corporate America and he served as a part-time deputy in Ohio.

He doesn't consider himself a hero, but one person disagrees.

“For somebody to risk their life for somebody you don't even know, that's brave, and I thank you so much ‘cause it could have went a completely different route," Turner said.

Cox Media Group