“Good Samaritans” may have saved motorist’s life after fiery Perry crash

A single car accident that happened on Highway 41 in Houston County left one man fortunate to be alive. The accident is still under investigation and there are many questions still to be answered, but what authorities know for sure is that somehow, the male driver of the vehicle lost control of his car, resulting in it leaving the roadway and ultimately bursting into flames.

Several emergency agencies raced to the scene including responders from Perry Fire Department (PFD), Houston County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and Houston County Fire Department (HCFD).

Fire Chief Christopher Stoner from HCFD said that his team primarily served to assist the members of Perry Fire Department who had reached the scene first.

“They dispatched Perry Fire prior to us because the location came in as being farther down 41,” Stoner shared.

Once PFD arrived on the scene, they realized that the accident had actually happened in Houston County’s jurisdiction, but Stoner said that PFD moved forward to work the scene anyway.

“We did respond,” Stoner said, “but we didn’t have to do much with it because they had been on scene before we were even notified, so they’d basically handled it by the time we got there.”

Corporal Watkins of Houston County Sheriff’s Office was one of those that worked the scene, and was able provide minor details regarding what happened.

“It was a single vehicle crash, and when the deputies got on scene, the vehicle was on fire,” he shared.

Prior to their arrival, Watkins indicated that members of the community who witnessed the accident had already jumped into action to assist the victim, who is believed to have been ejected from the car during the impact.

“Some pedestrians and witnesses stopped and pulled the driver away from the vehicle. That’s really all we know as far as that part is concerned.”

Watkins said that when the driver of the vehicle left for the hospital, he was conscious, but Watkins did not know anything regarding the man’s current condition.

Captain Clay Chambers heads the HCSO Traffic Division. In his sharing, he confirmed that due to HIPPA laws, no other information was available to share regarding the condition of the driver.

“We have to get that information from the hospital,” he said, “and they haven’t not released it. All we know right now is that it was a one-vehicle accident that did catch fire. We don’t know the cause of the accident or why he went off the road. The driver was the only person in the car, and he was taken to the hospital for treatment for his injuries.”

The man’s name and the severity of his injuries have not been released. Chambers said that no other information would become available until the investigation is complete.

HHJ News