Bystanders Rescue E-Bike Rider Trapped Under Volkswagen in Pennsylvania

Heroic bystanders lifted a Volkswagen Beetle off a 44-year-old e-bike rider who became trapped beneath the vehicle after a collision in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, this week. The dramatic rescue was captured on police bodycam footage.

The incident occurred Monday morning. Witnesses and responding officers rushed to help lift the car and free the woman. She sustained several broken bones and underwent surgery for a broken collarbone and other injuries, but is expected to survive.

Prospect Park Police Chief David Madonna estimated the woman was traveling at speeds exceeding 20 mph without a helmet when she collided with the classic Volkswagen. He suggested she may have been attempting to overtake other vehicles while en route to an appointment.

"She was driving way too fast for that time of day, for the road she was traveling on," Madonna stated, calling the bystanders "heroes." He later visited them to express his gratitude.

Carl Wise, a FedEx driver who assisted in the rescue, described the scene: "Got a yell to help. Ran over. We lifted the Volkswagen Beetle up, pulled the girl out and pushed her to the ground so she wouldn't move." Wise downplayed his role, saying, "I'm no hero. I'm just a guy doing a job."

Christine Vollmer, a local business owner who witnessed the crash, reported seeing the woman's legs trapped under the car. "All I saw were the lady's legs underneath the car, and she was just yelling: 'Get this car off of me,'" Vollmer told reporters.

Vollmer also noted a recent increase in similar accidents on the same street, stating, "I see it all day long. I see the bikes all day long. It wasn’t the first time I seen someone get hit by a car on a bike here."

Chief Madonna echoed these concerns, expressing worry about a growing number of e-bike-related crashes. "How many more tragedies do we have to see before some type of action is taken?" he asked.

The driver of the Volkswagen is not facing charges. Police indicated that the e-bike rider could receive a traffic citation pending the outcome of their investigation.