NEBRASKA CITY – Passerbys are credited with assisting the driver of a Chevy Malibu and firefighters shut off propane leak on a tanker after a collision Monday morning at the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 67 at Dunbar.

 

A motorist that stopped to assist said someone used a fire extinguisher to put out flames on the overturned truck.

Rick Dornburg of Malvern, a former firefighter, said it seems he was the first driver to stop after the accident. He said he saw flames on the truck and had a fire extinguisher available because he is in the fire safety business for commercial kitchen customers.

He said he used a 10 lb ABC extinguisher to put out the fire. He turned his attention to the driver of the truck and attempted to break through the windshield to get to the driver. He went back to his vehicle to get a hammer and another motorist joined him in peeling back the windshield so the driver could get out.

Dornburg said his attention was directed to another fire on the truck, which he also put out.

Dunbar Fire Chief Jason Burr said there was a brief propane leak forcing a shut down of the highway as a safety precaution. A firefighter identified the leak and shut it down.

Six units and 11 firefighters from Dunbar responded.  Nebraska City was called for mutual aid.

 

The Malibu driver was taken to a hospital. The driver of the truck remained on the scene until a tow truck arrived.

The call was dispatched at 7:19 a.m. with injuries and a fire. There was air bag deployment on the Malibu, but no fire.

The eastbound lanes of the highway were closed for under two hours.