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Driver rescued after crash, fire in Worcester parking lot

WORCESTER, Mass. — An Auburn man is alive after a serious crash followed by a fire all thanks to a Good Samaritan.

The crash happened at Lincoln Plaza near Lowe’s just before 1 p.m. Thursday.

Police said the 51-year-old man had a medical emergency while driving in the parking lot, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a pallet of stones, a pallet of mulch and a fire hydrant.

After getting wedged on the hydrant, the accelerator in the 2009 GMC Sierra stayed engaged, causing the back wheels to spin on the asphalt and generate enough heat to start a fire.

“I heard a bang then I saw crazy billowing white smoke coming from the guardrail, but I couldn't, all I could see was the smoke because there was huge snow pile in front,” Shawn Hibbard said. “The whole, from the front tire to the pickup truck to the rear tire in the back was there foot of flames.”

Once police responded, Hibbard helped them rescue the man trapped inside his truck.

“A lot of things going on, things in the way, what do I do, what can I do, and then you are wondering if the truck is going to blow up with the gas tank,” Hibbard said.

But Hibbard said he's not a hero -- just someone who was in the right place at the right time.