Superior native called a hero after rescuing victim from a burning car

A Superior native was hailed a hero in Overland Park, Kan., this week after he pulled a driver from a fiery crash.

Timothy McCarthy, 22, ran toward the burning car that crashed about 1 a.m. Tuesday and pulled the driver from the fiery wreckage, according to the Kansas City Star.

The incident occurred near his apartment, according to his aunt Shelby Hobson of Superior. She said her nephew, a 2006 graduate of Superior High School, sustained second- and third-degree burns on his hand when he pulled the victim from the car.

The victim was on fire when McCarthy pulled him from the vehicle. McCarthy snuffed flames around the driver’s head and shoulders, the Kansas City Star reported.

According to the newspaper, McCarthy was home talking to a cousin when he heard squealing tires, a bang and explosion. He could see the wreck from his house and called 911 as he ran toward the burning car.

“I couldn’t just stand there and watch somebody burn to death,” McCarthy told the Kansas City Star.

Hobson said two people died in the crash, but her nephew was able to save one of the victims of the crash. Police told McCarthy the vehicle was burning so fiercely, he couldn’t have saved the other victims of the crash.

McClatchy-Tribune Information Services and the Kansas City Star in Missouri contributed to this report.

Tags: news, superior, auto