Three residents of a small city in southwest Michigan are being praised for their quick thinking and bravery after they rushed to rescue a man trapped in a burning car. As city officials move to honor them with citizen awards, the identity of one of the rescuers is still unknown.
On Nov. 5, a car struck a pole on Capital Avenue Northeast in Battle Creek and caught fire with the driver still inside, according to a news release from the city.
Megan Waschak, an off-duty emergency dispatcher, was at home when she heard the crash, CBS affiliate WWMT reported.
“You could hear the tires squeal and then the big bang,” she told the outlet.
When she ran outside, Waschak saw that a car had hit a cement barrier. As she approached, small flames were beginning to appear and a younger man was talking to the driver, according to the outlet.
“It started building and building,” she said of the flames, adding that the driver didn’t seem to realize what was happening. “It was life over limb at that point; we needed to get him out. He was not trying to get out. I don’t think he would have gotten out by himself.”
Working together, Waschak and the young man pulled the driver from the vehicle.
“If something exploded, we were right in the line of it,” she told WWMT. At that moment, another neighbor, Donovan Greer, arrived and helped carry the driver to safety, the outlet reported.
The trio were not the only ones who stepped up. Another local resident, Robert Hegerberg, was driving by when he came upon the crash scene, according to city officials. He saw the three rescuers pull the driver from the burning car and then helped direct traffic until first responders arrived. After witnessing the rescue, Hegerberg became determined to make sure the three neighbors were publicly recognized.
“It must have stuck with him because a few days later he called me and said, ‘People need more positive news,’ ” the city’s release noted. “A few hours later, he showed up at City Hall to tell me more.”
Hegerberg later returned to the crash site to find out who had helped save the driver. He learned the names of Waschak and Greer, but the third rescuer has not yet been identified, officials said.
“We’re working with our police department to officially recognize Megan, but Robert’s right — this story matters. Especially today,” the city added. “Battle Creek is lucky to have neighbors like Megan, and bulldogs like Robert who refuse to let good deeds go unnoticed.”
Mayor Mark Behnke echoed that pride in a public statement.
“Battle Creek is beautiful because of its people — the neighbors who step up when it matters most,” Behnke said. “One act of kindness can ripple out in ways we may never see, but it makes our community stronger.
“Often those acts happen quietly, without recognition, and that’s why I’m grateful for good neighbors like Robert, who shine a light on the good deeds of others, like Megan and Donovan,” he continued. “Their courage and compassion reflect the very best of our city and make me proud to call Battle Creek home.”
For Waschak, acting quickly felt like a simple duty of being part of the community. She and the other identified neighbors have been selected to receive citizen awards from the police department, according to WWMT.
“The whole community that was here did not do it expecting anything in return,” Waschak told the outlet. “We know this area, this happens all the time, and we knew we needed to help them.”
