Man saves 2 people from burning car in Gatineau Park

A Gatineau man says he felt compelled to rush in and save two men from a car that was on fire in a Gatineau Park ditch Friday night.

Régis Grégoire was in the area when he says he saw flames coming from the ditch at the intersection of Gatineau and Champlain Parkways.

When he realized it was a car on fire, Grégoire said he ran toward it — and even though it was dangerous, he knew he had to help.

"I saw the passenger move [and] figured I had to get him out first. And I told him, 'You have to wake up, buddy. Listen, we're going to have to get your buddy out of there. He's in a bad condition,'" said Grégoire.

'It was a bad wreck'

Grégoire said it appeared the driver's legs were broken in several places.

"There was no way he was going to get out of there by himself alive, that's for sure," Grégoire recalled Sunday.

"So the passenger was brave, man. He woke up. He helped me push [the driver] out the car. You know, it was a bad wreck."

RCMP said they got a call about the 1980 Porsche in the ditch around 10:30 p.m.

Police said the two men in the car were 19 or 20 years old and were taken to Hull Hospital. The passenger has been released, and as of Sunday afternoon, the driver remained in hospital in stable condition.

Investigation continues

"The driver was almost on fire already when I got there. So it was a matter of seconds, really" said Grégoire.

"I didn't really have time to think. The car's on fire, I have to get him out of there. There's no way I'm going to watch someone burn alive. That's not going to happen."

RCMP continue to investigate and say while they don't know how the car ended up in the ditch, there was no indication of impaired driving.

Speed and an inexperienced driver could be factors in the crash, the police force added.