Fire engulfs motorcyclist who crashed into truck in China

NANCHANG, China - The quick reaction of a truck driver and his companions saved the life of a motorcyclist who crashed into their dump truck that caught fire last Saturday in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province.

Surveillance video footage from the accident that happened at around 18:09 shows the motorcyclist, surnamed Chen, trying desperately to stop before crashing in to the dump truck that was making a left turn onto the road.

However, his attempt failed as he collided with the truck's fuel tank which immediately sparked a fire. The fire soon engulfed the entire cabin of the dump truck as well as Chen. The truck driver, Yang Juyong, and his companions escaped from the truck and rushed to pull Chen away the fire to the roadside, and put out the fire on him.

"My truck was also on fire at that time. The door on my side could not open as the fire was darting over. I opened the door on the passenger side and jumped out. Then I rushed to the injured man (Chen) and rescued him," said Yang.

Yang then called local firefighters and medical assistance for Chen. Chen was sent to a nearby hospital and doctors say the injuries are not life threatening.

Meanwhile, the fire was extinguished in 40 minutes.

"The first thing that came into my mind was rescuing the man. I did not care that my truck was burned. What I was thinking was trying to rescue that man first," said Yang.

A preliminary investigation by traffic police stated that Chen was driving his motorcycle too fast and that prevented him from stopping in enough time to avoid crashing into the dump truck.

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