Council to Honor Man for Saving PCH Crash Victim From Fiery Wreck

The Malibu City Council will recognize a man who jumped out of his car to help rescue one of two men injured in a fiery crash on Pacific Coast Highway last month.

The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 14 at the Council Chamber at Malibu City Hall.

The crash on Pacific Coast Highway at Tuna Canyon Road in Malibu injured a 46-year-old Oxnard man and resulted in the death of Eriber Lopez, 25, of Los Angeles, on Tuesday, April 24.

John Johannessen, who is on the Board of Directors for the Malibu Chamber of Commerce, was one of several passerby who went to aid of the Oxnard man as his car started smoking.

"Some other drivers also ran up to the burning car, but no one was at the other smoking car. Inside was someone trapped in the smoking car and he was hitting the drivers side window with his feet screaming to help get him out," Johannessen, who lives in Westlake Village, told Patch on the night of the crash.

He said he was able to help the trapped man out of the car through the window.

"I looked around and saw a bunch of stopped cars but no one was coming to help. He was in hysterics crying "Pull- help- pull!" so I kept pulling and was finally able to get him out through the drivers side window," Johannessen said.

He said he then turned to help four other people helping with the other car, which had burst into flames.

"Meanwhile the fire was getting bigger and while slipping around in engine oil, we kept trying to break glass and get him out. A couple of fire extinguishers appeared from some motorist and were quickly used but the fire kept coming back," Johannessen said.

He added that the group was able to get the man out of his drivers side window and away from the burning car.

"One man said he was a fireman (in plain clothes) and quickly assisted in CPR as another man began assisting with the breathing," he said, adding that emergency crews arrived soon after.

Dan Bartolucci of Westlake Village and Scott Leese of Thousand Oaks were instrumental in helping the 25-year-old man, who was in the burning car.