Dean Jones is the embodiment of fearless parenting and heroism for saving his son from a burning race car during a race at Virginia's South Boston Speedway.
Dean did not think twice when he rushed to the tracks to get his son Mike out of his burning car. The father jumped out into the tracks and rushed to pull his son out to safety.
Fire On The Racetrack
A video from the said incident has now gone viral, and the dad has been hailed as a hero for doing the life-threatening feat. The footage taken during the race shows Mike's car crash into the walls, and it spins out of control at a speed of 100 miles per hour. The vehicle collides with another race car, which causes fuel from his car to leak. Sparks fly, and in a split second, fire engulfs the vehicle.
Usually, a fire on the racetrack hinders the rescue crew from getting too close to the burning vehicle to save the race car driver. This was not the case though with Mike. Dean immediately leaps over a fence and unto the tracks. He rushes to the burning car and pulls his son out. Mike was reportedly in the burning car for 20 seconds before his father hauled him out the window and into safety.
The video shows the brave dad return to the car and reaches for something inside. According to reports, Dean tried to help safety personnel extinguish the raging fire, but he was eventually pulled away from the wreckage by one of the crew.
Quick Reflex
Fortunately, both father and son came out unharmed from the incident. Mike even gave the spectators a thumbs-up sign as soon as he got out of the burning race car. The crowd cheered as Mike walked away unscathed.
Luckily, the car's engine bay contained the fire. It would have been fatal for Mike had it spread to the cabin. It was quick thinking and reflex from Dean that saved Mike from what could have been an unfortunate fate.
"It was a driver's worst nightmare for sure. Once I saw the flames, it was just 'get out' as quick as I could," Mike tells NBC News.
Meanwhile, Dean said he did what any dad would do at the situation. He said that at that moment his only focus was to get his son out of the burning car. Nothing else mattered, and nothing could have stopped him from getting to the car as soon as he saw the flames.
