Good Samaritans pull family from burning car after wrong-way crash

A family survived a fiery wrong-way crash on I-495 thanks to Good Samaritans who stopped to help.

Carlos Barbosa was on his way to celebrate his birthday with his friends Wednesday night when they came upon the crash on I-495 near the Taunton-Norton line.

"It was burning really, really bad," Barbosa said. "Like to the point where we were like, 'We have to back out. It's gonna blow."

Barbosa and his friend Josemar Brazao knew their lives were at risk, but they had to help the family trapped in the burning car.

Good Samaritans pull family from burning car after wrong-way crash Good Samaritans pull family from burning car after wrong-way crash

"It was really bad," Barbosa said. "I'm still having nightmares, it's crazy."

The wrong-way driver died in the crash, but Barbosa and his friend helped to make sure the death toll wasn't worse.

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Barbosa said the car was flipped on its side and the doors were stuck, but his friend punched the back window to pull two young boys out safely.

"Good thing is, after he broke the window, the smoke that was in the car started coming out," Barbosa said. "So, I think that also helped the family to wake up because they were like knocked out."

Barbosa said the two adults were still stuck in the burning car, so they flipped the car back onto its four wheels and pulled the couple to safety.

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"He was struggling trying to come out, so I just reached in and I grabbed him with my chest and I pulled him out," Barbosa said.

After the men saved the family, first responders arrived on scene.

"When they got there, the car was already gone," Barbosa said. "Just fire, that's all you could see."

Thanks to Barbosa and his friend, the family will survive, and Barbosa hopes they can meet one day.

"I would definitely like to see them," Barbosa said. "I think it’s one of the best birthdays I will ever have because we saved lives and that’s all that matters."

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