Woman Saved from Car Fire by Three Landscapers

Fire officials are crediting three landscapers for a dramatic rescue of a woman involved in a crash that caused her van to burst into flames.

At about 1:45 p.m. on May 1 Nashua Fire Rescue was dispatched to 66 Manchester St. for a report of an accident with fire.

Engine 1 and Ladder 1 (both of Amherst Street Fire Station) arrived to the scene of a single-vehicle crash involving a minivan and a tree across from the Manchester Street address. The van was consumed by flames. 

Nashua Deputy Fire Chief Karl Gerhard said the driver had already been pulled to safety by a three-man landscaping crew working at 66 Manchester St., identified as Jose Palacios and Joshua Parker, both of Nashua, and David Sampson of Billerica, Mass.

Deputy Chief Karl Gerhard said the three men deserve all the credit for placing themselves in danger to rescue the woman from the flaming van. Gerhard also said the fire would have proved non-survivable had the driver not been removed quickly.

After carrying her to safety and placing her on a nearby lawn, the three men returned to the van to make sure there were no other occupants, having notice a baby seat in the vehicle.

Several other people stopped and attempted to provide assistance or care to the patient prior the arrival of Nashua Fire Rescue. 

Engine 1 quickly attacked the fire and also assessed the vehicle for occupants while Ladder 1 began to treat a driver. Engine 5 (Airport Fire Station) stood by for assistance at the scene.  No further occupants were located in the vehicle. 

The driver, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital by AMR ambulance with a possible head injury as well as lower extremity injuries. 

The accident is under investigation by the Nashua Police Department.