Bystanders rescued a man from his burning van in South Hall County Friday morning after a collision at McEver Road and Lanier Islands Parkway.
Motorist Joey Libasci and his son came up on the accident that involved the van and a tractor trailer.
"The van rolled, or flipped, at least twice and landed back up on its wheels and automatically ignited and caught on fire," Libasci said in a phone interview.
Hall County Fire Services crews responded to the accident between 9:00 a.m. and 9:15 a.m., according to Captain Zachary Brackett.
"The driver of the van, a 55-60-year-old male had been removed by bystanders and suffered severe burns over 50 percent of his body. The patient is being transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta," Brackett wrote in a statement.
Libasci estimated there were five to six people, including his son, that jumped into action to rescue the man.
"There (were) refrigerant cans and freon bottles in there (van), and we were all worried about it blowing up," Libasci said.
After attempts to open the driver-side door failed, Libasci said the group finally opened the passenger door after several attempts. He said that's when the flames came into play.
"We were trying to keep them extinguished. I mean there was fire extinguishers coming from everywhere, and it just still wouldn't put it out," Libasci said.
He said the victim was able to help just enough to allow the group to get him to safety.
"I grabbed him with my arm and I said, 'You got move. You got to pull yourself,' and he have one good pull and we were able to get him out," Libasci said.
The Georgia State Patrol responded to handle the accident investigation.
Libasci said he got emotional as he and his son left the scene to go about their day.
"I literally turned around and looked around when I got in my truck, and I had tears in my eyes because of all of the people that were willing to risk their own lives to try and get one man out," Libasci said. "It was just incredible, It really was."
Law enforcement remained at the intersection for much on the morning on Friday.
AccessWDUN's Russell Brown contributed to this story.
