CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- The man who used a hammer to break out the sunroof of a burning car and drag a man to safety over the weekend is talking to CBS 6 News about what happened.
"In that moment there wasn't a lot of thinking -- just reacting," Aaron Parks said about jumping into action when he spotted the single-vehicle accident along the Powhite Parkway just before 3 a.m. Sunday.
"We just heard the guy in the car screaming, so we did everything we could do to get him out," Parks explained. "I am no hero."
WATCH: Heart-stopping video shows heroes save man during Powhite Parkway wreck
Parks then grabbed a hammer from his trunk and used it to smash out the glass in the burning car's sunroof so the man trapped inside could be pulled to safety.
"I was lucky enough to have the hammer. But my friend and another passerby were crucial in helping to get him out," Parks posted on the WTVR CBS 6 Facebook page. "The flames were intense. He didn't have 15 more seconds to spare."
Devon Farmer, who also aided in the rescue, said a minute or two after they got the driver out of the car, there was a small explosion and the flames became even more intense.
Jaime Shay, the first person on the accident scene, told CBS 6 News that he flagged Parks down initially.
Tara Courtland
"Those guys that pulled him out saved his life," Tara Courtland said.
Courtland also pulled over after Parks and his friend, Mike Olsen, pulled the male victim from the car. Courtland tried to keep the victim calm as he realized the gravity of what was had just happened.
"I just kept telling him he was going to be OK. He was covered in oil," Courtland said.
Officials told CBS 6 News Monday afternoon that cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The male victim remains hospitalized at VCU Medical Center. At last check Monday, he was listed in serious but stable condition.
