A 2011 Roseville Hero: Rosendo Mendez Pulls Man From Burning Vehicle

In a year of plenty of significant news in Roseville, one incident stands out to me as a truly remarkable event: the quick-thinking action of Roseville resident Rosendo Mendez who helped rescue and pull a driver from a burning car.

On mid-Thursday afternoon, Sept. 1,  a mini-van was traveling near the 1400 block of Glenhill Road when it struck a tree, then the engine compartment of the vehicle immediately burst into flames. Two residents of the neighborhood ran to pull the unresponsive driver from the burning vehicle to safety, according to Roseville fire officials. 

Mendez said he was sitting in his backyard when he heard a loud crash a little past 3 p.m. that afternoon. "I new something happened out front," recalled Mendez, 58. "I ran out through the gate to the front yard.

"I saw a car up against a tree. Smoke was coming out the front end and flames were coming from the windshield area," Mendez continued. "I knew someone was in there (the car) and I ran to help."

As Mendez headed across the street to undertake a rescue, his neighbor Susan Bacig called 911 for help, he recalled.

Mendez found the vehicle, a Caravan sports van, smashed up against a tree with its 300 pound victim _ Robert J. Anderson, of Brooklyn Park _ semi-conscious and wedged inside.

Mendez tried to get Anderson out from the driver's side but brush and poked its way inside the car. "So I pushed the door into the tree to break the branches," he said. 

Mendez said it was extremely warm inside the car and the vehicle's airbag had deployed and that Anderson still was still strapped in his seatbelt. "Through the corner of my eye I could see smoke," Mendez said. But not thinking about his own safety, Mendez said bore down and focused on getting Anderson out of the car.

As Mendez hovered over Anderson to free him, "I could feel the heat over the top of my head."  By this time, Mendez could see flames shooting through the car vents.

Nearly as soon as Mendez managed to pull Anderson out of the car, "the front end of the vehicle was engufled in flames."

Mendez' wife, Pamela was also home at the time and marveled at her husband's calm demeanor. She helped grab one of Anderson's legs to help pull him away from his van. Bacig also assisted in dragging him to safety.

The husky Anderson,63 ,  was none too nimble. He told his rescuers he had a bad leg and there was a wheelchair in his van's back seat. 

"The guy (Anderson) didn't realize where he was," Rosendo Rosendo recalled.

Afterwards, Rosendo said he knew he was dealing with a dangerous situation. "That is why I hurried" to get Anderson out of the mini-van, he said.

Pamela Mendez noted, "He (Rosendo)  went into autopilot. But I was freaking out. I was worried that the car was going to blow up and we could all die. Oh my gosh, what is going to happen to us? It was scary."

Roseville police and fire officials were amazed at Rosendo's bravery.

"Without the quick actions of these residents the driver would have suffered severe burns or possibly death,'' a spokesman for the Roseville Fire Department said in a statement. "The actions of these citizens have no doubt saved the life of the vehicle's driver. They are the definition of heroes."

Roseville firefighters and police arrived on scene and immediately provided medical attention to Anderson and extinguished the mini-van fire. Roseville Police reported that the Anderson vehicle was a total loss.

Anderson was transported by Allina to a local hospital for treatment.