This photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images]
This photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images]

A firefighter who witnessed a traffic accident on his day off and rescued a driver trapped in an overturned vehicle has drawn attention after the story came to light.

According to the South Gyeongsang Province fire department, a one-ton cargo truck overturned near the exit of the Sogye Plaza underpass in Uichang-gu, Changwon, on Wednesday. Park Yeong-cheol, a senior firefighter with the province's 119 Special Response Unit who was off duty at the time, rescued the driver, identified only as A.

Park was driving his own vehicle when he spotted the accident. Despite being off duty, he asked his wife, who was riding with him, to call 119 and rushed to help.

Park climbed onto the overturned truck and pulled the driver to safety. A sustained only minor injuries.

After the rescue, Park directed traffic around the scene to prevent secondary accidents.

"The moment I saw the accident, my body moved on instinct as a firefighter," Park said. "I'm just glad the driver was rescued safely. I will continue to do my best to protect the safety of residents."

Off-duty firefighters saving lives has become a recurring story.

Last month, firefighters in Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon Province, saved the life of a toddler who appeared to be choking, performing emergency first aid on the spot.

Ten firefighters from the Ucheon 119 Safety Center, part of the Hoengseong Fire Station in Gangwon Province, found the child — believed to have a candy lodged in the throat — in front of a convenience store in Yongdun-ri, Ucheon-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, and administered the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge it.

Senior firefighter Sin Gu-seon and fire lieutenant Yu Yeong-min performed the Heimlich maneuver for about a minute before the candy came free. The child's parents expressed their gratitude.


ygmoon@heraldcorp.com