In a dramatic act of bravery, two strangers in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, saved the life of a nine-month-old baby trapped in a burning car. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon as Alex McClean, 21, was driving her car along the A465 dual carriageway with her infant daughter Lilah.
Moments after pulling over due to her car’s warning lights, smoke began to fill the vehicle. In a panic, McClean was unable to open the rear door where Lilah was seated, nor the passenger door. As flames started to spread, Wesley Beynon, 39, and his uncle Marc Willding, 58, who were passing by, sprang into action.
Beynon forced his way through the driver’s side door, quickly unclipping Lilah’s harness, while Willding pulled the baby to safety. Tragically, just moments after the rescue, the car became completely engulfed in flames, a sight Beynon described as “pretty terrifying” and one that could have had a “different story” had they not intervened.
“We were in the right place at the right time,” said Beynon. “Instinct just took over.” Willding added that they would have done whatever it took to get the baby out of the car.
McClean, who was “hysterical” during the ordeal, expressed deep gratitude towards her heroes, describing them as “literal life savers.” She said Lilah was unharmed and will grow up knowing the men who saved her life.
The pair have been hailed as local heroes on social media, but Beynon stressed that they did not act for praise, but simply to make a difference. “You could potentially change somebody’s life as we have just done,” he said, urging other drivers to stop and help in similar situations.
