Teenager rescues five people, four from burning car

BLENDON TOWNSHIP-- Even before helicopters and ambulances rushed five victims to the hospital, help was on the scene.  A teen aged truck driver passing the scene stopped and began pulling people out of the burning car.

"All of a sudden, bam! These two cars collide and that's all I saw. Just the crash and once the smoke cleared I looked and there's this little girl lying on the ground."

Derek Bockheim of Grandville turned 18 years old last August, but it's his actions Monday morning which truly defined his manhood.

"Each one of them in the car all had bloody faces, their faces just covered in blood," says Bockheim.

Bockheim rushed to the girl lying in the street and carried her away from the burning Lexus sedan

"I seen that little girl lying on the ground I was like oh no! I just dead sprinted right to them," he says.

He went back and through the flames, reached for a baby boy.  Then Bockheim went back again.

"We got in there, we pried the door open for that gentleman in the passenger seat and I took a hold from under his shoulders and I kind of helped hold him and propped his head up with my chest and some other guy grabbed his legged and hauled him off," he says.

Bockheim also rescued the male driver of the Lexus and the female driver of the Jeep.

"Once I got home it kind of hit me," he says.

His parents heard the full story during our interview, as Derek very quietly told us his heroic tale.

"He's 18 and wow! So much courage, so much presence of mind," says his mother, Mary Bockheim, "?most of the things he does in life it's like, 'okay this is what I have to do I'm going to get it done.'"

This time, Bockheim got it done, with life hanging in the balance.

"I'm a proud Papa; he did what he was supposed to do," says Don Bockheim, who patted his son on the shoulder.   

The drivers of the vehicles, Baldomero Hernandez, 53 of Allendale and Linda Sue Norder, 51 of Jenison are at Spectrum Hospital. They are in serious and stable condition respectively.  Reymando Hernandez and Anabel Pastor are both in stable condition at Holland Community Hospital. David Pastor, the 16 month old is also in good condition at Holland Community Hospital.