THE heroic and selfless actions of a passing motorist saved the lives of a father and son after their vehicle crashed into a tree on the Renshaw McGirr Way at Yeoval on Saturday.
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The unidentified man arrived just seconds after the accident happened and found the four-wheel drive already on fire.
Ignoring any risks he faced, the man smashed a window of the burning car to rescue the boy from the front passenger seat before returning to rescue the driver, a 44-year-old man.
In a matter of minutes, the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames.
Orana Local Area Command duty officer Steve Munn said without the man’s brave actions, the two people probably wouldn’t have been able to escape the burning vehicle.
“Without his actions, I don’t think they would have been able to get out themselves. He certainly saved their lives,” Acting Inspector Munn said.
“The man was travelling a short distance behind [the victims’ vehicle] and didn’t see the accident but was the first on the scene.
“Even if he had arrived two minutes later it would have been too late. There wasn’t much time between him pulling them out of the car and the car being engulfed.”
Emergency services arrived on the scene and NSW Ambulance paramedics assisted the 44-year-old man with chest, collarbone and head injuries and child with abdomen and head injuries.
The pair were flown by helicopter to Sydney for further treatment.
The child is recovering at The Children's Hospital at Westmead while his father is at Westmead Hospital where he is in a stable condition.
Officers from Orana Local Area Command continue with their investigations into the circumstances leading up to the crash.
Acting Inspector Munn said it was likely both the NSW Police and NSW Ambulance Service would be nominating the rescuer for a bravery award.
The man's quick thinking prevention an escalation in the Western region's road toll.
So far in 2016 the road toll has increased from 34 to 54, a 58.8 per cent rise which has the region’s top traffic police officer concerned.
The western region extends from Lithgow to Broken Hill and from Lightning Ridge to Forbes.
"While the road toll is up we’ve also had a significant number of multiple fatalities,” Western Region Traffic Tactician Inspector Peter McMenamin said.
