WATCH: Hero drags unconscious driver from burning car
A New South Wales man is being hailed a hero after risking his own life to pull an injured driver from a burning car at Cootamundra in the state's south.
Local Michael Van Baast stopped to investigate after a ute slammed into a tree on the Olympic Highway.
He found 22-year-old Jacob Prosser trapped as flames quickly took hold of the car.
Desperate attempts to rip open the jammed door and pull down the doorframe failed, prompting Mr Van Baast to smash the window.
"At that point I saw flames in the dashboard and I thought no this is not going to end well, so I decide to just brute force him out," the hero told 7 News.
Incredible dashcam footage shows the driver falling in and out of consciousness as he is dragged from the embankment, away from his burning car.
After being freed, the injured driver was taken to hospital with burns and a broken leg.
Mr Prosser's parents say Mr Van Baast is a hero for saving their son's life.
