Photo: komonews.com
Most people would freak out to notice smoke coming out of their car and probably run away, putting personal safety first. But one new dad from Tacoma, Washington, decided to drive the burning car out of the parking garage and thus save the other 20 or 30 vehicles parked there.
Even firefighters have told Travis Trent that driving a burning car “might” not be a bright idea, but he tells KOMO News he would do it again if in the same situation. Sure, he’s hoping it won’t happen again, since the experience wasn’t exactly a nice one.
Trent had parked his BMW 5 Series in the Good Samaritan Hospital parking garage because his girlfriend had just been admitted: their baby was coming a month early, so they would be getting a little Christmas miracle of their own. At one point, he noticed smoke coming out and, next thing he knew, the car was on fire.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he jumped in, removed what he could from the car, and drove off. The only thing on his mind was to keep the fire from spreading from other cars, thus causing even more serious damage.
“The next thing I know I saw smoke coming out of the dashboard,” he says. “And so I said ‘this ain't happening here’ and pulled out and tried to get to the top and made sure I got my girlfriend's makeup and car seat out of the car. When you're in a parking garage you don't think that's the best place for a car to burn up in flames.”
The next day, as his story had made headlines, he got a call from Sunset Auto Wholesale – and a surprise he still can’t believe. The owner had heard of his mishap and, seeing how he had the exact same car that he had burned on the lot, he decided to donate it to him.
Trent couldn’t help crying when he saw his brand new car. It was the best Christmas present ever, right after the birth of his daughter.
Because of his brave gesture, no other car was damaged in the fire and neither was the parking garage structure.
Trent had parked his BMW 5 Series in the Good Samaritan Hospital parking garage because his girlfriend had just been admitted: their baby was coming a month early, so they would be getting a little Christmas miracle of their own. At one point, he noticed smoke coming out and, next thing he knew, the car was on fire.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he jumped in, removed what he could from the car, and drove off. The only thing on his mind was to keep the fire from spreading from other cars, thus causing even more serious damage.
“The next thing I know I saw smoke coming out of the dashboard,” he says. “And so I said ‘this ain't happening here’ and pulled out and tried to get to the top and made sure I got my girlfriend's makeup and car seat out of the car. When you're in a parking garage you don't think that's the best place for a car to burn up in flames.”
The next day, as his story had made headlines, he got a call from Sunset Auto Wholesale – and a surprise he still can’t believe. The owner had heard of his mishap and, seeing how he had the exact same car that he had burned on the lot, he decided to donate it to him.
Trent couldn’t help crying when he saw his brand new car. It was the best Christmas present ever, right after the birth of his daughter.
Because of his brave gesture, no other car was damaged in the fire and neither was the parking garage structure.
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