Bystanders pull woman from burning vehicle after crash on I-74

INDIANAPOLIS — A woman was rescued by two bystanders who pulled her from her vehicle after it went off the road and caught fire early Thursday near Interstate 74, police say.

The Indianapolis woman's Jeep became engulfed in flames after it went off the highway and struck a cable barrier in a median. That's when two men who witnessed the crash stopped to help, according to Indiana State Police.

ISP started receiving calls about 1:11 a.m. in reference to the crash. Indianapolis firefighters were the first to arrive and found the woman lying on the ground near the wreckage and being tended to by bystanders. She was then transported to a local hospital.

Police said a man named Craig Gay entered the Jeep through its passenger door while it was on fire, cut the seatbelt off the woman and pulled her to safety. Meanwhile, the other man — a truck driver from Maryland — used a fire extinguisher to quell the flames.

Gay was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

ISP said there were likely other people who stopped to help the woman, but they left before police arrived.

"If it wasn't for these two men we could be investigating a fatal crash this morning, their heroic actions and selfless response saved a life," said ISP Sgt. Jon Caddell in a statement.

Investigators are still working to determine what caused the driver to go off the road. She was "conscious and alert" when she was taken to the hospital, police said.