A Valley father and his 14-year-old daughter are being praised as heroes after helping rescue six people trapped inside burning vehicles following a violent crash on Carefree Highway near Cave Creek over the weekend.
According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the fiery two-vehicle collision happened Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. near Carefree Highway. Investigators are still working to determine exactly what caused the crash.
Casey Reinke said he and his daughter, Elianna, were driving in the area when they saw a vehicle speeding past them shortly before the crash. About a minute later, Reinke said they noticed flashing lights illuminating the sky and quickly realized something serious had happened ahead of them on the roadway.
When they arrived at the scene, they found two heavily damaged vehicles engulfed in flames with six people trapped inside. Reinke said his daughter immediately recognized the danger and urged him to help the victims.
According to Reinke, Elianna quickly grabbed his phone, called 911, and began directing traffic away from the wreck while he ran toward the burning vehicles to assist those trapped inside.
Reinke said he first helped pull one person out of a vehicle before turning his attention to a truck carrying five people. Flames were reportedly spreading from the back of the truck while victims remained trapped inside, creating what Reinke described as the most urgent situation at the scene.
Several other drivers also stopped to help. Reinke identified two of the bystanders as Mark and Tim, saying the strangers immediately worked together to rescue the victims despite the chaos and danger surrounding the crash.
Reinke described the rescue effort as feeling almost coordinated without anyone needing to discuss a plan. He said the group worked together instinctively while trying to reach the trapped passengers before the flames spread further.
The rescuers initially attempted to break windows and reach the passengers through the side of the truck, but the growing fire made access nearly impossible. Reinke said the group eventually flipped the truck in order to reach the people trapped inside more safely.
During the rescue, Reinke said he and the other men physically pulled victims from the wreckage one by one. He described grabbing one woman while the others grabbed her arms before pulling her free from the burning vehicle.
Firefighters and emergency crews arrived shortly afterward and transported all six injured victims to local hospitals for treatment. Officials have not publicly released the victims’ conditions, though family members later confirmed they survived the crash.
One of the victims’ relatives, Jeffrey Johnson, later publicly thanked the rescuers. Johnson said his mother and several other family members were inside one of the vehicles involved in the collision.
Johnson said his family members were injured but are continuing to recover. He also expressed gratitude that strangers stopped without hesitation to help save their lives during the emergency.
According to Johnson, it was remarkable watching a group of people who had never met before immediately come together during such a dangerous situation. He credited the rescuers’ fast actions with saving lives.
A GoFundMe campaign has reportedly been created to assist some of the victims involved in the crash as they recover from their injuries and the aftermath of the fiery collision.
Reinke said a firefighter later told Elianna that the bystanders’ actions directly prevented the crash from becoming far more deadly. According to Reinke, firefighters told them the victims likely would not have survived without the quick rescue effort carried out before emergency crews arrived.
At home, Casey and Elianna are simply father and daughter. Reinke also coaches Elianna in softball, where the two regularly work together as coach and player. After Saturday night, they said they became teammates in a much more serious situation.
Reinke praised his daughter for remaining calm under pressure during the emergency and said there is nobody he trusts more. Elianna, meanwhile, said both of them simply stepped into the roles they needed to play to help save the victims.
Source: AZFamily
