Fiat Chrysler Head of Design Ralph Gilles is being hailed as a hero after saving two people from potentially getting burned after a three-vehicle crash in the suburban Detroit area. According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, a 2013 Ford Fiesta collided head-on with a 2013 Ford Edge in the early hours of Sunday morning. While the two vehicles were idle in the roadway, a 1997 Buick LeSabre broadsided the Fiesta, pushing it into the Edge where the latter ended up catching fire. The driver of the Edge was able to exit his car, but the two people who were inside the Fiesta found themselves trapped inside their car with the Edge blocking their exit. That’s when Gilles came into the picture, saving the couple from a potentially fatal situation.

According to The Oxford Leader, Gilles and his wife were headed home from an event when they came upon the accident. “We were the first (ones) on the scene,” he said. Giles and the driver of the Edge tried to help the couple in the Fiesta, and he was already in the scene when the LeSabre struck the Fiesta, sliding into the Edge. With the crossover burning, Gilles became concerned that the flames from the Edge would touch the Fiesta with the couple still trapped inside the hatchback. Without thinking, Gilles got into his Jeep Wrangler and pushed the burning Edge to the opposite shoulder, away from the Fiesta and the LeSabre.

“I still have no idea where that (thought) came from,” Gilles told the Oxford Dealer. “The only thing I can remember thinking (is) I’ve got a Jeep, it’s got a bumper on it, I think I can do this. All I could think about were the two people still inside the other car.”

“I figured the fire department would take a while to get there . . . At that time of day. I had to do something fast,” FCA’s design chief added.

The trapped couple eventually got out of the Fiesta after getting extricated by local firefighters. Unfortunately, one of those two people, identified as 57-year old Misty Considine, died at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital hours after the accident.

It’s devastating to hear that one person died from the crash, but it could’ve been worse had Ralph Gilles not been on the scene. He was hailed as a hero for his actions, even if he doesn’t think so himself. “It’s important to stop,” he said. “It’s kind of what you’re supposed to do.”

References

Read our full review on the JK-gen 2017 Jeep Wrangler

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