'I’d absolutely do it again': 911 dispatcher recounts freeing drivers from fiery Parkway West crash

Emergency dispatcher Brian Craig was driving home from an overnight shift around 6 a.m. Saturday when he saw two cars in flames after they had collided on the Parkway West in Robinson.

The former police officer and firefighter said Monday he didn’t think about what to do next. His years of EMS experience simply took over.

With fire spreading in each car, Craig estimated he had “about three to four minutes” to free the two crash victims from the wreckage. So, joined by other 911 dispatchers and at least one good-Samaritan motorist, Craig smashed one of the crashed car’s windows with a tire iron and claw hammer, then struggled to free one of the drivers from a tangled seatbelt.

“He was awake but totally incoherent,” Craig told reporters during a press conference Monday lauding the dispatchers’ quick response. “And we could feel the heat getting more intense as we were working to get him out.”

Then, a tow-truck driver from Pittsburgh’s McGann & Chester arrived on scene — and proved essential to the rescue, Craig said. The driver’s pen-knife helped slice through a seatbelt and free one of the drivers. Ambulances and fire trucks arrived moments later.

“That tow-truck driver showing up with the knife, and having the other gentlemen there — a lot of things just came together with perfect timing,” Craig told reporters. “Another couple minutes, there would’ve been a much different result.”

The fiery crash occurred on the inbound highway, between the Summit Park Drive bridge and the interchange for Routes 22/30 and 60, Exit 60, first responders said.

An image provided by the Moon Run Volunteer Fire Co. showed one of the two vehicles engulfed in flames, while flames were visible from the front end of another vehicle.

The two crash victims were hospitalized Saturday. No updates on their injuries were provided Monday.

At least one leader in Allegheny County’s emergency services operation didn’t hesitate Monday to call the roughly 10 telecommunicators, or TCOs, who responded to the crash heroes.

“These folks sometimes are overlooked, … but the real work begins with that 911 call,” said Steve Imbarlina, the emergency services department’s assistant chief. “This is one of those proud moments where the outcome is exactly what we hoped it would be.”

The Moon Run fire department commended the dispatchers for their efforts over the weekend.

“A huge shoutout to the TCOs of Allegheny County Emergency Services! Today they saved two lives on the other end of the phone/radio,” the fire company said on its Facebook page. “Our dispatchers very rarely get the recognition they deserve as being first responders, but this morning they were first on the scene and made a difference. Solid work!”

Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the crash, first responders said.

Craig said Monday that he didn’t hesitate to stop at the crash — and has no second thoughts about it.

“I wouldn’t have been able to drive by, keep going and see on the news later somebody died in that, when I could’ve stopped and made a difference,” he said. “I’d absolutely do it again in a heartbeat.”

Staff writer Brian C. Rittmeyer contributed to this report.