A ResQme window punch - used by one of several drivers who stopped along the freeway after my car burst into flames—saved my life.
My name is Sam Orbovich. I am a retired attorney. I live in St. Paul, Minnesota with my wife Cindy. I practiced law for forty-six years and retired in June of 2024.
During my legal career I represented many health care professionals who dedicated themselves to caring for vulnerable individuals. Many of those professionals routinely save lives by jumping into life-or-death emergency situations. That’s not surprising, because empathetic, caring professionals are well-trained to react and respond to emergencies. It’s not just their responsibility, it’s their calling.
But it is extraordinary when everyday citizens jump into action to save an unconscious driver trapped inside a car engulfed in flames along the berm of a major freeway during rush hour. It’s even more unusual when video cameras on a rescuer’s car capture the entire harrowing incident. The video of the persistent efforts by these inspiring heroes has been viewed millions of times over social media and broadcast news.
On April 18, 2024, I had a short work day. After a remote video call with a client from our condo, the rest of the morning I spent with my sister Sue.
Sue arrived in the Twin Cities the day before for a short layover visit with Cindy and me. When we drove from the airport, we saw a serious car-van accident. A sideswiped car had flipped over, resting on its roof. Before we arrived, the first responders already had the accident well under control, including extracting the driver from the car.
The next day I dropped off Sue at the airport. I drove to my downtown Minneapolis law office and worked until just before 6:00 pm. Before leaving the office I texted Cindy that I was getting ready to drive back to St. Paul.
I’ve driven I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul thousands of times since we moved to the Twin Cities in 1981. I’ve seen speeding drivers, a careless driver sideswipe a semi-truck while changing lanes, and others who dart in-and-out of freeway lanes. Those tactics can cause just as much danger as the van that sideswiped the flipped car Sue and I saw.
As I was nearing an upcoming exit, a black car came up on my left. I feared it was moving into my lane so I moved to the right. I overcorrected, jumped the curb, and struck a lamp post going about fifty five miles an hour. The post fell over. I was knocked unconscious by the impact and my air bag. My fuel line ruptured. A fire started at the lamp post and followed my car as it came to rest.
There is much about the accident that I can’t recall. As I came to I saw the fire was coming over the hood of my car. I saw people pulling on my door and heard them yell “get him out.” I pushed on the driver side door, but it wouldn’t open more than a few inches. My car was leaning against a guardrail that was blocking my door.
The first person to reach my car was Tesfaye, a postal worker who had emigrated from Ethiopia. Michael, a UPS driver, was close behind. Tesfaye, Kadir (the rescuer whose car videoed my rescue) and Lacie, a physical therapist, kept pulling and yanking on my door. The guardrail kept springing the driver side’s doors back. Others joined in, but the doors were jammed against the guardrail. The growing fire blocked any safe exit from the passenger side.
Michael walked around the car and braved the grass fire on the passenger side. He reached in, shook me conscious, and told me to release my seat belt. He repositioned me while the fire was burning the soles of his shoes. He persisted, even though thick black smoke was triggering his emphysema. Both Michael and Tesfaye were later treated for smoke inhalation.
Tessa, a Registered Nurse, warned off the others whenever flames would erupt or as black smoke billowed over my car. As each tire exploded, flames would burst up and push back Michael, Tesfaye, Kadir, Lacie, Tessa and others. But they persisted and kept running back.
Kadir used a part broken from my car and tried to smash my window. Two or three others, still unidentified, joined the effort with whatever they could put their hands on. One unidentified rescuer emptied a fire extinguisher under my car, buying everyone a few precious seconds more time.
Then David arrived. He ran to my car. David saw the group’s chaotic effort to break my side window. Car windows are extraordinarily strong and are designed to resist breakage after impact.
David pulled out a keychain that held his red ResQme window punch. He placed it square against my side window and pushed hard. One of the first things I vividly remember is seeing my driver’s side window burst into thousands of tiny pieces as David’s gloved hands swept those pieces away.
I put my feet out the window. Michael, Tesfaye, David, Kadir, and Lacie yanked me out through my broken window. They set me down on the freeway so Tessa could check me just as the fire engine from the nearby St. Paul station arrived.
A few months later, during interviews conducted by a syndicated national educational program, I learned from those firefighters that if I had been trapped for another 15 or 20 seconds, I’d be dead.
About a month after my rescue, Cindy and I hosted Michael, Kadir, Tesfaye, Lacie, Tessa, David and members of their families at a private gathering at a neighborhood coffee cafe. The first photo is all of us, and Ryan, the first Highway Patrol officer on the scene. The second photo is David presenting me the actual red ResQme he used to break my window.
I declined many media interviews requests, explaining the people who saved me were the story, not me. I agreed to do a few interviews so long as they offered to interview all of the known rescuers. One of the best is by Lauren Leamanczyk, and is available on-line at KARE-11.
The third photo is my car after the fire, and the fourth is the red ResQme that saved my life, now framed in a prominent location in our condo.
I nominated my known rescuers for several commendations. All six were given Meritorious Citizenship Awards by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Tesfaye was also named National Hero of the Year by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Michael Coy was also awarded the prestigious national Carnegie Hero Fund award, as well as a commendation by his city of Saint Paul Park.
I later learned the driver of the car that flipped over turned out to be my neighbor who lived one floor below me in our condo building. We marveled in our good fortune.
One very sad post script. Michael tragically died on April 22, 2026, just four days after the second anniversary of his part in my heroic rescue. I spoke at his service. I told his family and friends that while they will miss Michael terribly, I know one other person who will miss him even more. That’s the next person who becomes trapped and endangered along Michael’s UPS route, because we all know that in a heartbeat Michael would do it all again to save the next total stranger.
