Belleville crash: Driver rescued from flaming truck after allegedly drunk driving

AUGUSTA TWP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A crash left a community horrified after a driver was pulled out of a flaming truck on Willis Road.

What they're saying:

Officials are saying the driver hit an embankment, causing their car to flip and catch fire near Belleville.

This Ford F-350 crashed in a ditch on Rawsonville Road in Augusta Township, just outside Carol Hicks’ home, after 2 a.m. Friday. Her grandson ran in to tell her about the crash.

"It woke me up and then my grandson came running up here," she said. "He said there’s an accident, there’s a car or a truck on fire in the ditch out there."

For her, the crash was an emotional moment after losing her son to alcohol.

Dig deeper:

A FOX 2 viewer shared cellphone video of the flaming truck and her family rushing to help the driver stuck inside.

Hicks also shared her video of the incident that can be viewed above.

Michigan State Police are investigating the crash, with Lt. Rene Gonzalez said the 24-year-old man who was driving was drinking at a bar just up the street from the crash, according to neighbors.

"Left the area, high rate of speed, but before that doing donuts in the parking lot of this bar," Gonzalez said.

Officials say the driver lost control while speeding and crashed the car, which caused the vehicle to go into a ditch, launch into the air, and strike a tree.

What's next:

Police say if first responders did not arrive when they did, the crash could have been deadly.

No charges were filed as of Friday, but MSP officials are confirming this would be the man's third drunk driving offense in less than three years.