Seven Strangers Ran Into a Burning SUV on I-94

Most people drove past. A handful of strangers didn't.

A Car on Fire, a Man Trapped Inside

At 6:34 p.m. on April 18, 2024, Sam Orbovich, a 71-year-old attorney, was driving his Honda CR-V eastbound on Interstate 94 near Snelling Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. His SUV drifted right, struck a light pole, and spun into the highway guardrail. The airbag deployed. Orbovich lost consciousness. Within seconds, the car was on fire.

As dozens of vehicles passed without stopping, seven people pulled over. They had no equipment, no training - just the decision to get out of their cars and run toward the flames.

The Rescue

Kadir Tolla, a 34-year-old entrepreneur, arrived first and tried to pry open the driver's door - but it was pinned against the guardrail. Tesfaye Deyasso, a postal worker, and Lacie Kramer, a physical therapist, hammered at the doors. Tessa Sand, a registered nurse, prepared to provide care the moment Orbovich was clear. Then a Minnesota Department of Transportation worker named Dave Klepaida pulled up in his DOT truck and used a small window-punch tool called a Resqme - the size of a keychain fob - to shatter the driver's side glass.

Michael Coy, a 53-year-old UPS driver, didn't wait. He climbed in through the passenger side while the car was still burning, unbuckled Orbovich's seat belt, and began pulling him out as flames reached his own legs. Together with the others, they dragged Orbovich through the broken window and onto the shoulder - seconds before the SUV was fully engulfed.

What the Camera Captured

Kadir Tolla's dashcam recorded the entire rescue. The footage - showing multiple people sprinting from their stopped cars toward a vehicle already swallowed in black smoke - spread nationally within days. It was the kind of video that is hard to watch and impossible to forget: ordinary people deciding, all at once, to do something extraordinary.

What Happened Afterward

Orbovich was discharged from Regions Hospital the same night with singed hair and minor scrapes. Coy suffered smoke inhalation and minor burns, and recovered fully. In 2025, the Carnegie Hero Fund - North America's highest award for civilian heroism - awarded Michael Coy the Carnegie Medal for climbing into a burning vehicle to save a stranger's life. Coy was selected because he had put himself at the greatest physical risk by entering the car while it was on fire.

Orbovich later credited all six named rescuers by name: Kadir Tolla, Dave Klepaida, Tesfaye Deyasso, Lacie Kramer, Tessa Sand, and Michael Coy. "I am alive today," he said, "because several good Samaritans and professional first responders saved my life."