TROY, Mo. – Earlier this week, Melvin Ashburn, a retiree and Lincoln County resident, pulled over when he saw a vehicle in a ditch.

“First, I just thought he was in a ditch, but then I saw that the airbags had been deployed,” he said.

Tim Mosher, an off-duty fire captain with the Central County Fire & Rescue, also pulled over. The two were able to pull the unconscious driver from the vehicle as flames began to rise.

“By the time we got him out of the car, they were probably three feet high and coming up around the hood,” Ashburn said.

The family of the driver who crashed came to the Lincoln County Fire Protection District #1 firehouse to thank Ashburn on Thursday. 

“We’re so grateful that they risked their own lives,” the driver’s mother, Cheryl Dodson, said. 

Her son, 33-year-old Adam Kelly, remains hospitalized, recovering from his injuries.

“We wouldn’t have Adam today if they hadn’t stopped,” Kelly’s grandmother, Donna Hunt, added.

Family members say Kelly has no recollection of how he crashed.

“It’s awesome though to know that we have people in our community that will stop and help,” Assistant Fire Chief Robert Shramek said. “We don’t want you to get hurt, but if you’re able to help, that first person stopping to help is great.”

A spokesperson for the Central County Fire Protection District says Capt. Mosher preferred not to be interviewed.

“Luckily, this gentleman sounds like he’s going to make a full recovery,” Shramek added. “We thank everybody for what they did that night.”