Off-Duty Firefighter Rescues Driver From Wrecked Car

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — Whenever someone needs help, a first responder's natural instinct is to come to the rescue — even when they are off the clock.

That certainly holds true for Justin Hoglund, a firefighter with the Alameda County Fire Department, who quickly jumped into action to pull a badly-injured driver from a wrecked car following a collision on Vasco Road in Contra Costa County.

The accident happened shortly at 8:35 a.m. Wednesday, Officer Brandon Correia with the California Highway Patrol said.

Hoglund, who was not working at the fire department at the time, was assisted by a U.S. Navy recruiter.

The pair quickly worked to get the driver out of the car by breaking out the windows and forcing the door open with metal from the debris.

The crash shut down the highway for a period of time, and the driver was ultimately airlifted to a nearby hospital, according to the Alameda County Fire Department.

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District received assistance from the Alameda County Fire Department, Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department and several others.

According to CHP, the morning crash occurred between a 2006 Pontiac and a 2015 Ford F-150. Both vehicles had solo occupants.

"The Pontiac driver was a 29-year-old male who suffered major life threatening injuries and was taken to John Muir hospital in Walnut Creek by helicopter. He is still there and in critical condition," Correia said.

The driver of the truck, a 35-year old man, was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for minor injuries and pain, CHP reported.

"The fault of the collision has not been determined yet and is still under investigation. As of this moment, there’s no charges, but that can change by the end of the complete investigation," Correia added.