Kenneth Taylor was driving home with his family after helping organize a large trunk-or-treat event in Highland Park when he spotted a damaged car engulfed in flames on the Southfield Freeway near Joy Road. Four people were trapped inside. Taylor and several other motorists pulled over and raced to get them out before the fire could spread further.
The crash happened on the Southfield Freeway near Joy Road in Detroit, according to ClickOnDetroit, which reported that the vehicle caught fire after being damaged in the crash. The outlet reports that crash victims included a man in the passenger seat and two people in the back seat, and that Taylor watched as people helped a woman out of the front seat. Two of the crash victims told Taylor they could not move their legs.
Taylor said, “I pulled him out the car,” describing how he worked alongside the other motorists to free the passengers one by one. As flames grew and the vehicle began popping, Taylor went back for one more person still trapped inside. “They pulled him right before me,” he said. “I don't want to just leave him.”
Help Kept Coming After the Flames Were Out
Once all four people were clear of the burning car, Taylor continued helping the injured passengers. A Detroit Fire Rescue spokesperson told the outlet that the first EMS unit arrived 4 minutes and 21 seconds after the first 911 call, with Engine 55 arriving shortly afterward. The injured passengers were then taken to Sinai-Grace Hospital.
Taylor later learned from a relative of one of the passengers that two of the injured people needed surgery. He told the station it was “a life-changing experience for everybody,” and said he hopes to learn more about how the passengers are recovering.
Stopping on a freeway shoulder carries its own danger. Michigan State Police advises drivers who stop to help to park as far off the shoulder as safely possible, turn on their flashers and stand on the side of their vehicle away from traffic. The agency says people involved in roadside emergencies generally should remain in their cars until help arrives; its roadside-safety guidance also urges passing motorists to use caution and, if possible, slow down and move over.
Taylor’s rescue has a local precedent: in March 2020, a bystander named Yousef Hemana pulled three unconscious occupants from a car that caught fire after a crash on Detroit’s Eight Mile Road. The earlier crash was separate, but it similarly placed an untrained motorist at the center of an urgent rescue before emergency crews could take over. Hemana’s rescue of the three occupants was reported by ClickOnDetroit.
Investigation Still Open
No Update on Investigation As of the report's publication, Michigan State Police had not provided an update on the crash investigation. Taylor has asked anyone with information about the injured passengers to reach him through his business social media pages under The Shoe Doctor.
