Portage Firefighters Rescue Man In Overturned Vehicle Before Train Crash

Early Friday morning, several Portage firefighters were reminded why they are so important to our world. Their split-second decision-making and bravery saved a young man's life when his Jeep overturned on a set of train tracks pinning him inside.

Public safety officials had received reports that there was a two-vehicle crash with injuries at the intersection of Shaver Road and West Centre Street. Upon arrival, public safety saw the two vehicles, one of them being overturned in the center of the intersection.

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There was a Chevy Cruze with heavy front end damage that was at the scene alongside the overturned Jeep. The driver of the Chevy Cruze was uninjured and was seemingly okay. As for the driver of the Jeep, he wasn't so lucky. A Facebook post from the Portage MI Dept of Public Safety shows the video and description of the unreal event.

The driver of the Jeep was expressing severe back pain that was restricting his ability to exit from the vehicle, prompting public safety to begin assessing the scene and his injuries. Soon after, disaster came calling as the train crossing signals began flashing.

As officials heard the whistle from the train, they realized the severity of the situation and sprang into action with no hesitation. They began to carefully but quickly remove the driver of the Jeep from the overturned vehicle and drag him away from the intersection.

Firefighters were able to pull him out of the vehicle, out of the intersection, and out of harm's way literally SECONDS before a train came barreling through the railroad crossing effectively taking the Jeep out and pushing it against a nearby pole.

The cause of the crash remains unknown as they continue their investigation and, as mentioned earlier, the driver of the Chevy Cruze was unharmed while the driver of the Jeep was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Luckily and thankfully, everyone is alive.