Heroic actions save man’s life in fiery crash

Lolita Harper

It was the split-second decision of a local hero that prevented a

fiery collision on Tuesday from being a fatal one.

Costa Mesa resident Timothy Montag pulled a man from his burning

sports car, which had been broadsided by a cargo van at a Mesa Verde

intersection, just seconds before the entire car ignited into flames.

“I had gotten out of the car and was in complete survival mode,”

Montag said. “I had a second to respond and I just went over, got the

door open, got the seat belt off and pulled him to safety.”

Montag was at the intersection of Adams and Placentia avenues when

the man he eventually saved ran a red light, causing the accident,

officials said.

The driver of a red, 1987 Nissan 300 ZX, whose name was not

released, tried to make a U-turn on Adams Avenue, to head east

“against a stale red light,” according the traffic incident report.

“It wasn’t like he was trying to beat a yellow light,” Costa Mesa

police Sgt. Zack Hoferitza said. “It was already red when he

approached the intersection.”

At the same time, a white Ford E350 was headed eastbound on Adams

Avenue at about 40 to 50 miles per hour, Hoferitza said. The van

struck the sports car, causing it to roll over and burst into flames.

Costa Mesa Fire Capt. Kurt Yoder’s team was the first to arrive on

the scene and found the car already engulfed, as well as the front of

the van, he said.

“Luckily there was a citizen who had pulled the young man out of

the car before we got there and essentially saved his life,” Yoder

said.

Montag said the driver was completely unconscious when he found

him. His sandals had fallen off as he ran to help the man and Montag

said he could feel the heat of the flames on his skin.

“There I was with no shoes on, polyester shorts that are highly

flammable, there is gas on the ground that I am standing in and the

hot engine is still going,” Montag said. “God willing, I didn’t get

hurt.”

The husband and father of four said he didn’t even have a moment

to think about what he could have been risking and continually

thanked God that there was no reason to regret his actions.

His wife, Sandra Montag, said she was proud.

“It’s a good thing Tim was there,” she said.

Despite the threatening circumstances, both drivers were

transferred to area hospitals with moderate to minor injuries. The

driver of the white van complained of chest pains, which is common in

accidents where the air bag deploys, Yoder said. The driver was taken

to UCI Medical Center in Orange.

“He was conscious, coherent and not too bad at all,” Yoder said.

Yoder said the driver of the sports car didn’t have any visible

injuries but was very combative, which often indicates a more serious

head injury.

“He was fighting us the whole way and seemed pretty out of it,”

Yoder said. “We took him to Western [Medical Center in Santa Ana] to

find out why he was acting that way.”

Hospital officials would not comment on the condition of either

patient.

Hoferitza said no arrests were made in connection to the accident

but that both cars were “totaled.”

* LOLITA HARPER is the Forum editor. She also writes columns

Wednesdays and Fridays. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or by

e-mail at lolita.harper@ latimes.com.