Strangers Lift Car Off Trapped Man in Somerville

On a Thursday morning in September 2024, a 58-year-old man was struck by a car and pinned face-down at the intersection of Broadway and McGrath Highway in Somerville, Massachusetts. What happened next was captured on traffic camera and shared by police on Facebook - a moment that spread rapidly across the internet.

The Pin That Nobody Could Move - Until They Could

The vehicle had trapped the man in a way that made dragging impossible. His body was pinned directly under the car, and first responders quickly realized the only way out was up. Officer Thomas Lambert and fellow Somerville officers sized up the situation within seconds. Construction workers at a nearby property heard the commotion and sprinted over. Lambert later recalled it simply: "Everyone just got on one side and lifted - it was a great group effort."

Strangers Who Showed Up

Anderson Pacheco, one of the construction workers on scene, described the instinct in the moment: "We didn't know if the guy was alive or anything under the car, so everybody started looking at each other like 'We got to move the car.'" That unspoken consensus became action in seconds. Officers and workers together lifted the vehicle onto two wheels and rolled it back approximately 10 feet, freeing the trapped man from underneath.

He Was Talking When They Got to Him

The 58-year-old was conscious and speaking when paramedics arrived and transported him to Massachusetts General Hospital. Police reported it appeared he would recover. The Somerville Police Department credited the outcome directly to the group that had gathered: "Their quick, selfless actions saved a life."

The Footage That Spread Everywhere

The traffic camera captured the whole sequence - the impact, the sprint to the car, the collective heave, the man pulled clear. Police posted the video to Facebook, where it spread widely. Broadway and McGrath Highway is one of Somerville's busiest intersections - the kind of corner where you pass dozens of strangers every day. On September 12, 2024, those strangers decided to lift.