A 16-year-old New Brunswick boy is being hailed as a hero for pulling a woman from a burning car following a crash Saturday evening.
Donna Despres had picked up her son, Joey LeBlanc, at his girlfriend’s house and they were driving home at around 9 p.m. when they came upon a car engulfed in flames at the side of the road in Cocagne.
LeBlanc said that although several passersby had stopped to watch the blaze, “they weren’t doing anything.”
That’s when he decided he had to help, and headed toward the burning car.
“I was afraid but I didn’t think of it,” LeBlanc told CTV Atlantic. “I was just thinking about saving her, I guess.”
LeBlanc said the driver was stuck in the half-open window, but he managed to pull her to safety.
Cocagne Fire Chief Danny Desroches said when firefighters arrived at the scene, about 10 people were watching the car burn while the teen pulled the driver from the vehicle.
“If it wasn’t for him she probably would have burned with the car,” Desroches said.
RCMP identified the driver as a 37-year-old woman from Cocagne. Cpl. Daniel Melanson said she was transported to hospital for treatment.
“We believe alcohol is a factor but the investigation is ongoing,” Melanson said.
Meanwhile, Despres, who caught her son’s heroic moment on video, praised the teen’s actions.
“He’s a really good kid for sure,” Despres said. “And he surprises me sometimes, like he did last night, for sure.”
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s David Bell
