‘He would’ve died on the spot’: Bystanders lift car, rescue man pinned in Redmond parking lot

Five men lifted the car while two women pull man from under tire

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Coleen Mitchell and Cindy Leroue work at two businesses in a strip mall off Southwest Sixth street in Redmond. On Thursday morning, Mitchell was the first to see what happened when a man became trapped underneath a car. She ran next door, where Leroue called Deschutes County 911.

"I saw him standing in the parking lot, kind of on the side towards the rear of the car. His dad was backing up. I turned my back -- turned back around -- and hear a scream. That's when I ran out and saw him on the pavement." Mitchell recalled later.

Leroue told NewsChannel 21 the front passenger-side tire was atop the man's left shoulder. and he seemed unresponsive. She said the whole ordeal took about five minutes until, first responders arrived.

Leroue and Mitchell said while they waited for the ambulance to arrive, they went outside and yelled for help. Five men lifted the car, while Leroue and Mitchell grabbed the man by his shirt and pants and dragged him only a few inches, to free him.

"They were able to get it up enough that Coleen and I were able to gently pull him away from the tire and get the tire off of his heart," Leroue said. "If we hadn't have done that, he would've died on the spot -- and after that happened, he started coming to a little bit and was able to talk to us."

Redmond police said they responded around 10:40 a.m. to the accident involving a pedestrian reportedly trapped under a vehicle in the 600 block of Southwest Sixth Street. When officers arrived, the 54-year-old man had been freed from beneath the car.

A Redmond Fire & Rescue ambulance rushed the man to St. Charles Bend..

First responders often drive on 6th Street to get to the highway. It's a one-way road with two lanes. The women say they were frustrated to see drivers who were not getting out of the way for the ambulance. They say it's a big issue in that area.

"When you hear a siren, they need to pull over and stop gawking around and seeing what's going on or whatever. They need to get the heck out of Dodge," Mitchell said.

Police provided a statement to NewsChannel 21 that read in part, "The initial investigation revealed this MVA isn’t criminal in nature."

"RPD is very thankful for the community members who helped the patient until he received medical assistance from first responders," they said.

The two women said waiting for the ambulance felt like forever -- and that they don't want to be considered a hero, that they did just what you do when someone needs help.