See Woman Being Rescued From Smoking Car at Pennsylvania Gas Station

A dramatic rescue at a Pennsylvania gas station was caught on video.

ByABC News
October 29, 2015, 1:17 PM

— -- Surveillance video captured the dramatic rescue of a woman from her car at a Pennsylvania gas station.

The accident left one customer injured and sent one police officer and the driver to the hospital according to ABC's Philadelphia affiliate WPVI.

Cameras at the Liberty Gas Station in Merion Station, Pa., showed a woman pulling up in a black Ford Fusion at about 8 p.m Tuesday and stopping to let a customer walk by. The car, however, began drifting to the left and hit a pillar holding up the gas station canopy. The driver also hit a man pumping gas nearby, knocking him to the ground. Liberty employee Tony Benedict said he immediately ran outside to help.

"She wasn't driving fast, but she was not at the right angle," Benedict said. "She barely missed me so I ran inside to shut off the pumps so there was no blast."

Benedict said Steven O'Neil, a regular customer who happened to be at the gas station that night, told him to call the police. Meanwhile, the woman's foot was stuck on the gas pedal causing the Ford's front wheels to spin and smoke. Officer Michael Young, one of two officers who arrived on the scene, yelled at the woman to get out of the car, but she did not respond, according to WPVI. The Lower Marion Police Department told ABC News that the woman was apparently suffering from a seizure. Both officers were unavailable for comment.

O'Neil is seen on the video using a crowbar to break the Ford's right rear passenger window. O'Neil declined to comment for this story.

The video shows thick smoke billowing inside and around the car. Officer Young was eventually able to pull the woman out from the passenger's side door. The woman can be seen quickly standing up after being rescued. She was taken to the Lankenau Hospital, while Officer Young was transported to Bryn Mawr Hospital, according to WPVI.

Benedict said both he and the officers were hesitant at first to break into the car.

"The smoke was unbelievable," Benedict said. "I was scared. It's something you could never think of."

Benedict told ABC News that once he finished his shift and returned home, he and his family prayed for the woman and injured customers. He said all station employees receive yearly emergency training.

"We have a basic knowledge of what to do," Benedict said. "It very much helped. You don't get panicky. It doesn't make the situation better."