Sheriff: Bystanders Free Man Trapped In Burning Car After Crash

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Authorities in central Minnesota say bystanders were able to free a man trapped in a burning car Wednesday afternoon in the moments after a car crash.

The Meeker County Sheriff's Office says a report of the crash came in around 2:40 p.m., with the caller saying a crash at the intersection of County State Aid Highway 19 and 330th Street had left a man trapped in a car that was on fire.

The driver, identified as 38-year-old Nicholas Arens, had apparently suffered a medical condition, which caused him to drive off-road and crash, a preliminary investigation suggests.

By the time deputies got to the scene, located south of Kimball, Arens' car was fully engulfed in flames, but he was not inside. Bystanders had been able to get him out of the vehicle.

Emergency crews airlifted Arens to Hennepin Healthcare for treatment.