Video shows good Samaritans lift vintage Volkswagen to rescue woman pinned underneath
By Joe Brandt, Madeleine Wright
Click here for updates on this story
DELAWARE COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A group of good Samaritans banded together and lifted a vintage Volkswagen Beetle off a woman pinned underneath after a crash in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Video shared by police in Prospect Park shows the moments after the crash at 11th and Lincoln avenues Monday morning.
Bystanders can be seen rushing toward the vehicle from different directions. Seven people eventually worked together to lift the car and pull her out from underneath, police said.
Chrissy Vollmer, owner of CV Signs LLC, and her delivery driver were among the people who stopped to help.
“There was a lot of people around,” Vollmer said. “And he said, ‘Let’s lift his car.’ And he says, ‘3, 2, 1,’ and everyone pushed up.”
Vollmer said she was working inside her shop when she heard the crash.
“I just heard a bang and a scream,” she said. “So, I ran out and I saw someone’s legs underneath the car and then the lady was screaming, ‘Get me out of this car, get this car off me.'”
Prospect Park Police Chief Dave Madonna said the woman was riding her e-bike down Lincoln Road at about 20 to 25 mph. He said the e-biker was rushing to an appointment and trying to pass a car that was making a right turn when the crash happened.
Madonna said the woman had to undergo surgery and is now recovering from chest injuries at a hospital. He added that the woman could face several hundred dollars in fines in connection with the crash.
During a news conference Wednesday, Madonna emphasized the actions of the bystanders who stopped to help.
“It was an admirable scene, and to be honest with you, it’s something I haven’t seen maybe in my 30 years of doing this,” Vollmer said.
Madonna called the rescue “heroism in its purest form.”
But Vollmer said she was just doing what anyone else would have done.
“I don’t know if I’m really a hero, but I was happy to be there that day,” she said. “And I’m happy that everyone’s OK.”
Police said the Volkswagen driver was not at fault in the crash. He was using his turn signal as he turned into the intersection, and then the e-bike collided with the car.
Police are working to identify all of the good Samaritans seen in the surveillance video so they can be properly commended at a future borough council meeting.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.