Chili woman looking for man who pulled her from crashed truck

CHURCHVILLE, N.Y. (WHEC) — A few weeks ago, a Chili woman crashed her truck along I-490 East in Churchville. After recovering, she’s now trying to find the man who she says stopped to pull her from her burning truck, possibly, saving her life.

On Jan. 2 around 10:10 a.m., Stacey Hallinean was driving on 490.

“I actually had my mom on the Bluetooth she was in the hospital so I was calling and checking on her and a deer came out of nowhere and I had no choice but to go right into it, slammed it and then it was a day like today the roads were real crappy, the truck went out of control, I went through some trees and somehow the gas line got ripped and within moments it was engulfed,” she recalled.

Hallinean tried to get out but couldn’t get the driver’s side door open, “I was screaming for help, coughing… I couldn’t breathe,” she told News10NBC.

Then a man, who she believes was in his 50s or 60s appeared.

“It seemed like forever but it was probably only minutes and the whole backseat was engulfed, my mom could hear me on the overhead screaming, he opened up the door and ripped me out I don’t know how he got the door open, it was just a miracle,” Hallinean said.

Paramedics and firefighters arrived shortly after.

“My head smashed pretty good and thank God it’s healed, I’m just bruised from head to toe,” she said of her injuries.

But she’s thankful, so thankful, to the man who stopped, “everything happened so fast and then I turned around and he was gone and I couldn’t even thank him,” Hallinean said.

The man told a firefighter on-scene that he had to get to work so he left before police arrived and took the report.

“I just want to thank you so much, I can’t believe somebody would take the time out of your busy day to help another stranger it’s just he is my angel,” Hallinean said.