Man trapped in burning car saved by officer using bystander’s tow strap in Palatine

A police officer, with the help of a bystander’s tow strap, saved a man trapped in a burning car that had crashed into a building in northwest suburban Palatine.

A 48-year-old man drove his Kia Soul into the brick wall of an abandoned building shortly before noon Friday in the 600 block of East Dundee Road, Palatine police said in a statement.

The car caught fire and the man, who was conscious but suffering a medical emergency, was trapped inside, police said. Officers arrived to the scene and tried to reach him but couldn’t because the burning car was stuck in the building.

A citizen provided a tow strap, which the officer used to pull out the Kia with a squad car, police said.

The man was pulled from the car and taken by paramedics to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with burn injuries, police said. He was later transferred to Loyola University Medical Center where his condition was stabilized.

No one else was injured during the incident, police said. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.