Ben Sykes tells CP24 he and his wife were driving on the QEW in Mississauga on Monday when they saw a moving vehicle on fire that ended up in a ditch near the Cawthra off-ramp.
“I saw someone with a car jack in hand, quickly heading towards the vehicle and then I started banging on the window.  And so I guess at that moment, it felt kind of good that I got to help out here.  And so I jumped out of the car and, you know, I did everything I could to try to help right now,” he told CP24 Thursday afternoon.
A video of the incident, which was posted on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, showed smoke billowing from the stalled vehicle as five men tried to rescue the driver.
OPP say the driver, a 36-year-old Toronto man, experienced a medical episode during the incident.
The five men then jumped into action to help free the unconscious man from the rapidly burning vehicle.
Sykes, who was wearing a white shirt in the video, can be seen kicking and elbowing the car window to try to free the man.
“…And then, luckily, there was a guy in a dump truck, whoever he was, threw a sledgehammer out the window and I was like, OK, we’ve got to grab this thing,” Sykes said.
“And so I grabbed the hammer and broke that window and we were able to open it and we’re thankful that the timing worked out the way it did, it was literally the time of year.”

		A 36-year-old Toronto man who experienced a medical emergency is alive thanks to the heroic efforts of five men who risked their lives as the vehicle caught fire with the driver still inside.  They opened the driver’s door to rescue the driver.  You are my hero.  4 Jul ’22 pic.twitter.com/bwE43tMhn1
	— OPP Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) July 7, 2022
The men then pulled the driver from the vehicle to safety.
Sykes says the rescue took place in about 30 seconds before the vehicle was engulfed in flames.
The OPP say the driver was not injured and is alive today because of the men’s “heroic efforts.”
Sykes says he talked to the driver yesterday.
“Obviously he’s grateful.  I’m sure everything suits him.  It’s emotional.  It’s been an emotional roller coaster for me this week.  I’m sure it was the same for him.  So luckily he’s in good shape and we all left,” he said.
Sykes added that he went into “fight or flight” mode and just wanted to help a person in need.
“I think there are a lot of people out there who would do the same thing if they were put in that situation.  And all we can do is try to help other people and make the world a good place despite all the things that are going on right now.”