By: Richard L. Smith
Image Credit Ms. Iris Alvarez
Union Police are currently investigating a violent crash that jolted residents from their sleep early Saturday morning.
Emergency responders were swiftly dispatched to the intersection of Erhardt Street and Vauxhall Road following multiple 911 calls about a severe crash involving a vehicle that had caught fire with a potential victim trapped inside just before 7 a.m.
Upon arrival, firefighters encountered a car fully engulfed in flames after it had collided with a utility pole in the quiet residential area.
Thanks to the emergency crew's quick action, the flames were extinguished promptly, and remarkably, the young driver managed to escape the inferno unaided.
An unidentified person inside a separate car observed the crash and assisted the driver out of the burning car residents told RLS Media.
Medical personnel evaluated the driver at the scene. Miraculously, he did not appear to have sustained severe injuries. He was then taken in custody by Union Police. His charges have not been confirmed at this time. 
Witnesses told RLS Media that they had heard the vehicle speeding through the block just before the crash, suggesting that high speed may have been a factor.
The community expressed relief and described the young man as "lucky to be alive."
Police continue to investigate the exact cause of the crash, which has left residents shaken but grateful for the driver's survival.
