TSA heroes: 'There were people to save and I just jumped in'
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FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Three Transportation Security Administration agents hailed as heroes for rescuing a man and woman from a crashed car just as it was erupting in flames say they just jumped in and reacted.
James Bostwick, Jody Wellman and Christopher Hastings, all TSA agents at Sea-Tac Airport, were carpooling to work on I-5 in Federal Way when Bostwick saw a BMW heading right for him.
"They hit the guard rail and a concrete barrier that's next to it, and went airborne and was headed straight at us," he said.
Instead, the BMW hit a light pole in the center divider then caught fire with two people inside.
"There were people to save and I just jumped in and reacted," Bostiwck said.
Hastings added: "You know it's kind of a scary thing when you are running toward some car that's crunched up and in flames."
As the fire grew, they pulled the driver out first and then his female passenger.
"It took three or four times to get her a safe distance away while the flames around the car were catching the grass on fire," Wellman said.
A burned out shell is all that's left of what happened next.
"That fire went literally from three to four feet tall to completely just exploding and being a ball of fire," Wellman said.
But before the BMW exploded, everyone was safely away from the car.
"I've never been involved in anything this dramatic where I had to rush and go out and help somebody," Bostwick said.
The three TSA agents then went on to scanning, patting and searching -- the job they do every day -- knowing they had a hand in saving a pair of lives.
"We did as a team here, we did as a team out there," Bostwick said.
The 29-year-old woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of internal injuries.
The driver, a 21-year-old soldier from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was arrested for vehicular assault after treatment at St. Francis Medical Center.
WSP is working to determine exactly what caused the crash but troopers say speed and alcohol may have played a role.
James Bostwick, Jody Wellman and Christopher Hastings, all TSA agents at Sea-Tac Airport, were carpooling to work on I-5 in Federal Way when Bostwick saw a BMW heading right for him.
"They hit the guard rail and a concrete barrier that's next to it, and went airborne and was headed straight at us," he said.
Instead, the BMW hit a light pole in the center divider then caught fire with two people inside.
"There were people to save and I just jumped in and reacted," Bostiwck said.
Hastings added: "You know it's kind of a scary thing when you are running toward some car that's crunched up and in flames."
As the fire grew, they pulled the driver out first and then his female passenger.
"It took three or four times to get her a safe distance away while the flames around the car were catching the grass on fire," Wellman said.
A burned out shell is all that's left of what happened next.
"That fire went literally from three to four feet tall to completely just exploding and being a ball of fire," Wellman said.
But before the BMW exploded, everyone was safely away from the car.
"I've never been involved in anything this dramatic where I had to rush and go out and help somebody," Bostwick said.
The three TSA agents then went on to scanning, patting and searching -- the job they do every day -- knowing they had a hand in saving a pair of lives.
"We did as a team here, we did as a team out there," Bostwick said.
The 29-year-old woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of internal injuries.
The driver, a 21-year-old soldier from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was arrested for vehicular assault after treatment at St. Francis Medical Center.
WSP is working to determine exactly what caused the crash but troopers say speed and alcohol may have played a role.
