Chrysler’s Global Head of Design, Ralph Gilles is now being called “heroic” by the Addison Town, Michigan Fire Chief after Gilles used his Jeep Wrangler to push a burning Ford Edge away from a crashed Ford Fiesta and its trapped occupants last week.

Gilles, who was with his wife, said he was the first to arrive just after the initial crash as the Edge driver was exiting his vehicle. Gilles then witnessed a second collision, when a Buick LeSabre also crashed into the Fiesta. This pushed the Fiesta close to the Edge which then caught fire.

The quick-thinking Gilles then used his Wrangler to push the Edge to the opposite shoulder, away from the two vehicles.


Local newspaper Oxford Leader quotes Gilles as saying:

“I still have no idea where that (thought) came from…the only thing I can remember thinking (is) I’ve got a Jeep, it’s got a bumper on it, I think I can do this. All I could think about were the two people still inside the other car.”

“I figured the fire department would take a while to get there . . . at that time of day. I had to do something fast,” he continued.

“I give the Jeep a lot of credit because had I been in my (Dodge) Challenger, I wouldn’t have had the traction to do it…luckily, we had the Jeep that night. I put it in four-wheel drive and it worked perfectly.”

Gilles doesn’t see himself as a hero though. He adds:

“It’s important to stop (whenever there’s an accident). It’s kind of what you’re supposed to do,” Gilles noted. “Every time I see something like that, I always at least inquire if they need help.”

When the Addison Town Fire Department arrived, they were able to get the Fiesta’s occupants out of the car although one of the two occupants died after being taken to hospital. The Buick driver is in stable condition, while the Edge driver, who sustained minor injuries has been put in jail. The paper claims that he has admitted to drinking while driving.

Source: Oxford Leader