Several passengers involved in a recent high-speed crash in Moscow were saved thanks to the efforts of a Dagestani wrestling coach.
The viral CCTV footage of the incident from early Friday morning shows a largely empty road in the Russian capital. A taxi and another car both pass through an intersection going opposite directions, but the car appears to just barely hit the back of the taxi before crashing into a nearby building. The vehicle lights up with flames almost immediately upon impact.
Luckily for the passengers, Arslanbek Aliyev and several other people nearby witnessed the accident and immediately ran over to assist. The 38-year-old Aliyev is a former Russian freestyle wrestling champion and currently serves as the coach for Dagestan’s youth wrestling team.
“We ran out at the sound of fire, immediately the car began to burn,” Aliyev said.
Police actually tried to keep Aliyev and the other passerby from approaching the burning vehicle, but they acted quickly to break the car’s windows and save several of the passengers.
“The police forbade us to approach,” he claimed. “We broke the windows, doors with Arab guys. They were the first to start it all. And they pulled all the guys out. The front ones, who were squeezed, could not (pull out), there was a very strong fire.”
Aliyev and the other individuals were able to rescue 6 passengers that were later treated at the hospital, but the two passengers in the front of the vehicle died as a result of the crash.
The wrestling coach has received public praise for his heroics, including from the head of the Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev. In addition to calling for Aliyev to be awarded for his actions, Svishchev noted that the coach’s character makes him a perfect role model for his students.
“Such actions show the upbringing that sport gives discipline,” Svishchev said. “Separately, it should be noted that such a person himself brings up young athletes. We can be sure that none of his students will pass by someone else’s trouble.”
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