Matthew Forrester saved a man from burning, Lilburn, Georgia, March 15, 2025. The man, 90, was the driver of a car that left the roadway and caught fire in the rear yard of a private property off a cul-de-sac. The driver was disoriented and unable to escape and by revving the engine trying to get back on the road, a tire wore down and the metal wheel caused sparks and a fire from friction with rocks along the culvert. Alerted, Forrester, 45, teacher, responded barefoot and found 5-foot flames burning at the car’s passenger side and spreading to the engine, with dense smoke inside limiting visibility. Hearing the man shout for help and seeing dense smoke billow from the open window of the driver’s door, Forrester opened the door. Unable to see inside due to the smoke, Forrester felt for a seat belt but found the man was not wearing one. Despite the dense smoke and flames entering the passenger compartment through vents at the dashboard, Forrester reached his head and arms inside through the open driver’s door and grasped the man under his arms and pulled, but the man would not let go of the steering wheel. Forrester then entered the vehicle to his waist, positioned himself to face the man, and forcibly pulled on the man, freeing him from the vehicle as flames spread closer to the driver. Forrester, still holding the man under his arms, dragged him up a hill toward the front of his house. The engine exploded about 20 seconds after the rescue, throwing debris into the air and as far as 10 feet from the vehicle. Flames grew to about 9 feet high, enveloping the vehicle. The man sustained an injury to his left foot in the accident but declined medical treatment at the scene. He died about two months later of unrelated causes. Forrester suffered minor smoke inhalation, singed hair on his arm, and was sore following the rescue, but did not require medical treatment. He recovered.
2025-0000255-10569Matthew Forrester
Lilburn, GA