Justin Taylor never thought of his own safety.The only thoughts that crossed his mind centered around a teenager who was in danger.
Running on pure adrenaline, Taylor pulled the teenager from a burning vehicle that crashed on Cullman 1339 near Lake George Friday afternoon, potentially saving a life in the process.
The victim, Randall Ray Popdan, 16, was carried to a hospital by AirEvac because of possible head and neck injuries, according to Cullman County Sheriff Mike Rainey. An update on his status wasn’t available at press time Friday night.
According to Rainey, the accident occurred when Popdan’s minivan ran off the road, hit two trees and then caught on fire.
Taylor was working near the scene when the accident occurred. Law enforcement and emergency workers had not arrived at the scene when Taylor began his rescue attempt.
“By the time I got there, the vehicle was already burning pretty good,” Taylor said. “The kid was unconscious. He wasn’t responding at all, so I started tugging on him, trying to get him out of the vehicle.
“When I started pulling on him, that’s when he woke up, but he couldn’t move because his legs were wedged between the dash. I wasn’t going to let that kid burn up. Even though I was worried the car was going to explode, I just kept pulling until the door opened a little and I was able to get him out.”
Taylor said he sustained mild burns to his face and arm while rescuing Popdan from the burning vehicle.
In hindsight, Taylor realizes the danger he put himself in.
“When I got home and started thinking about what happened, I almost got sick at my stomach,” he said. “That vehicle could’ve easily exploded. But if I had let something happen to that kid, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself, either. There was no way I was going to let that kid burn up in that car.”
Rainey called Taylor’s actions “courageous.”
“That’s pretty amazing,” Rainey said. “He put his life on the line to help someone else. That’s nothing short of heroic.”
The Cullman Times
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