A heroic Neenah resident and a Sheriff’s Deputy are to thank for rescuing a driver and passenger from a fiery car wreck.
The crash occurred in the 1300 block of Gillingham Road in Neenah on Monday (January 20th) at approximately 9:40 p.m.
A southbound vehicle left the roadway and struck a fire hydrant, turned down the embankment, and struck a tree before spinning violently and coming to a rest on the vehicle’s passenger side.
A nearby resident, later identified as 30-year-old Tanner Ater, heard the crash and rushed outside.
He ran to the scene with a fire extinguisher and used it on the vehicle’s engine compartment.
The car’s passenger was able to climb from the wreck, but the driver was still inside.
Ater, with the help of the first responding Deputy from the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, climbed on top of the vehicle and was able to help the driver from the car as the engine compartment fire reignited.
Responding fire crews from Neenah Menasha Fire Rescue were able to extinguish the flames fully, and both occupants of the vehicle were transported to a local hospital.
