Merthyr Tydfil men rescue nine-month-old baby trapped in burning car

A mother has described two strangers who saved her nine-month-old baby from a burning car as “literal lifesaver”.

Alex McClean, of Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, was driving on a two-lane road at around 13:20 GMT on Wednesday when smoke began billowing from his car and although he managed to get out, the passenger doors were locked with baby Lilah inside.

As the flames spread, Wesley Beynon and his uncle Marc Willding, from Merthyr Tydfil, rushed to help; Wesley managed to enter the driver’s door to save Lilah and pull Marc to safety.

The group reunited on Saturday, and Alex said Lilah will grow to know the men who saved her life and will never forget their heroism.

Alex, 21, was driving along the A465 in Merthyr Tydfil to take Lilah to playgroup when his car suddenly started losing power.

He pulled over after the warning lights came on, but moments later the car was filled with smoke and he ran to get out.

When Alex tried to open the rear door behind the passenger seat and the passenger door, neither would open, and in his panic he didn’t think to try the other side.

“I thought everything was locked,” he explained.

Alex said she screamed for help as cars drove by and tried to break the window with her keys, but when the hood started turning brown she called the police.

“I was hysterical and had no idea what was going on.

“I thought I was going to lose him.”

Welder maker Wesley was returning to his workshop with his uncle when he noticed the car on fire while waiting.

The 39-year-old driver recalled seeing a woman “clearly in distress” in the passenger door screaming that her baby was trapped inside, describing it as “horrible.”

Wesley forced his way in from the driver’s side, unbuckled the baby’s seatbelt, and then Marc pulled him out as flames began to appear inside the car.

Moments after Lilah was rescued, the vehicle burst into flames; Wesley said it was “pretty scary” and could mean “a different story.”

“We were in the right place at the right time,” Wesley said.

“Instinct took over.”

Marc, 58, added that he would never leave the scene until the baby was safely out of the car.

“We would do this any way possible.”

Alex said baby Lilah was unharmed from the ordeal and was glad to have the chance to be reunited, thanking the men who saved her baby by giving them gifts.

She added: “I’ve never been more grateful to anyone helping me, there were so many people who didn’t bother to stop.

“It would have been awful if he wasn’t there; it was such a relief to get him out of the car.”

Alex described the pair as “real lifesaver”.

“I will never forget them, and Lilah will grow up knowing who they were, what happened, and how they saved her life.”

Wesley added that he has felt overwhelmed since the incident, especially since he and his uncle have been hailed as local heroes on social media, and that his phone has “been on fire”.

He said it was nice to be recognized but emphasized that they did not act for praise.

Wesley added that it meant a lot to him to know that they “made a difference” not only in the baby’s life, but also for Alex and his family.

“I can’t imagine what they would have gone through if we hadn’t kept the baby,” she said.

His advice to other drivers was simple: “Just stop and help.

“You can potentially change someone’s life like we just did.”

Additional reporting by Andy Gourlay