A mother reunited with two strangers who rescued her nine-month-old baby from her burning car.
Alex McClean from Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, had to pull over on the A465 at Merthyr Tydfil on Wednesday, when her car began to smoke while driving along a dual carriageway and, although she managed to get out, she struggled to open any of the other doors to get her child.
“I was panicking trying to open the doors, I thought everything was just locked,” she explained.
Alex said she screamed for help as cars drove past, unsuccessfully trying to smash the window with her keys before calling police as the bonnet began to turn brown.
Wesley Beynon and his uncle Marc Willding stopped to help, with Wesley forcing his way in through the driver’s side, unclipping the baby’s harness, and Marc taking the baby out.
“There were flames visible when we got in the car,” Wesley said.
“I could see them through the windscreen. It was pretty terrifying to be honest I’m not going to lie.”
Moments after Lilah was rescued, the vehicle became “erupted” in flames, which could have meant “a different story”.
“Around 30 seconds to a minute later it was engulfed. We were in the right place at the right time,” Wesley said.
Alex thanked the pair when she and Lilah reunited with them on Saturday.
