MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — Abe Abrahamson of Mountain Home is being hailed as a hero for a harrowing rescue. He was on a road trip in Arizona with his wife over Christmas, when he noticed a wrecked car on the side of Interstate 93.
"There was like a dust or a fog on the road I'd say, and I look to the right and there's a car that's upside down on fire," Abrahamson said.
Suddenly, things took an unexpected turn for him and his wife Robin.
"So, we pulled over real quick, and when I got out of the car there were a couple of guys standing there," Abrahamson said. "I said who is the driver? They are like, well he's still in the car."
His wife called 911, and Abrahamson sprung into action.
"I climbed inside there, and I said hey, your car's on fire, we gotta go," he said.
But, the man in the car was trapped in his seatbelt upside down.
"I got out of the car and yelled who's got a knife? One guy gave me a knife, so I go back in the car, and grab his shoulder strap that's cutting across and started cutting it, while I'm cutting it, the battery in the front of the car explodes," Abrahamson said.
Further, he realized time was ticking and he couldn't get the man free from the seatbelt.
"So, I gotta come up with a different plan," Abrahamson said. "I went inside the car another way, and put my arm on his chest and lifted him up and hit the button and the seatbelt unlocked, so I dropped him down and try to turn him to get him out and he's like, my foot is stuck. I'm like I can't get to your foot, you need to do that yourself buddy. He wiggled it a couple times and finally got it undone. I reached underneath his arms and drug him out the back, out toward the road."
That is when the car went up in total flames. He moved the man to safety down the road, and waited for paramedics to arrive.
"Once it was over it was a huge relief," Robin Abrahamson said. "I was worried about his safety. But, with the military background he has, that's what they teach him to do. Our car was pulled over before I even knew what was going on, and out the door he went."
Abrahamson said he had no choice, no one else on scene was trying to save the man.
"You know, how can you live with yourself and at least not try to help him somehow," he said. "It just had to be done, and the adrenaline kicked in."
He is a proud Marine veteran and said his military training definitely helped him in this scenario.
"I joined the Marines out of high school, and I spent years on active duty with the Marines. When I got out, I came back to the state of Idaho, went to work for the Army National Guard and worked for them for five years," Abrahamson said. "You know everyone talks about taking action. That's what veterans bring to the community, we bring that military training and our oath to help people that can't help themselves. That's what veterans do."
The Abrahamson's said, as far as they know, the man they pulled out of the burning car is still in a Las Vegas hospital. Abrahamson said maybe one day they will have the chance to meet again. Until then, he said he was just so glad he and his wife were in the right place at the right time.
His wife wife posted about the rescue on Facebook.
"I just wrote up what happened, and posted a couple of photos, and there was a huge response," Robin Abrahamson said.
They couldn't believe the response.
"You see how many thousands of people have liked it and commented about it, and it makes you feel good, but again - I hope that anybody would do the same thing," Abrahamson said.
The accolades just keep coming in for him.
"Senator Jim Risch called me, and he actually sent me a letter this weekend that I got, and I was honored by the American Legion with a heroism medal," Abrahamson said.
It's all a lot of attention for this humble hero.
"I'm not that kind of guy, I didn't do it for the accolades or awards or whatever, I did it because there was a human in danger," Abrahamson said. "It's what we all should do."
His wife Robin was also honored for her role in the rescue.
Abrahamson is a hero in more ways than one. He is also currently the Idaho American Legion Adjutant, and is the director of the One More Day program. A peer-to-peer suicide intervention program where trained task force members help veterans in crisis.
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