Chinese man calls mother saying 'I may not come back' before driving through deadly tunnel fire to save trapped driver
A 24-year-old Chinese driver risked his life to rescue an injured man from a burning truck in a 10-kilometer tunnel, calling his mother during the harrowing escape to say he might not survive before successfully guiding both through the smo
A touching incident unfolded when Zhang Jian, a 24-year-old from Shandong Province, made the selfless decision to risk his life saving an injured person from a burning truck inside the Bao Ta Shan tunnel while traveling home from Shanxi Province. What moved people most was his call to his mother during the rescue, where he spoke words that sounded like a farewell.
While driving through the 10-kilometer tunnel, Zhang encountered a burning truck with two men beside it—one severely injured and the other waving for help amid thick smoke. Without hesitation, Zhang and his car's passengers stopped immediately and helped lift the injured man into the vehicle. Though the victim's legs couldn't fit completely inside, they proceeded with the front door open, causing dense smoke to continuously pour into the car.
To cope with the situation, they poured drinking water on themselves to reduce smoke exposure and slowly drove out of the tunnel, eventually realizing they had several more kilometers to travel. The journey was fraught with unpredictable dangers. At one point, Zhang had to stop to reposition the injured passenger safely and turned on the air conditioning to help clear the smoke. However, his own body began to weaken—he struggled to breathe and nearly lost consciousness multiple times as the path ahead remained shrouded in darkness.
Facing what seemed like death, Zhang called his mother and told her that if he didn't contact her within two hours, it might mean he couldn't escape the tunnel. The words devastated his mother, but she continued encouraging her son to stay strong.
Throughout the ordeal, Zhang and his passengers encouraged each other until they finally successfully drove through the smoke and flames. "When I saw the light at the tunnel's end, I immediately realized how precious life is," he said.
Upon exiting the tunnel, ambulances and police officers were already waiting. The injured passenger's life was saved, and Zhang continued his duty by dropping off his passengers at their destination before heading home.
Later, the injured man's family contacted Zhang to express their gratitude, emphasizing that he didn't just save one life but saved their entire family. When asked if he would do the same in a similar situation, Zhang simply replied he would act the same way without hesitation.
Authorities presented Zhang with a commendation plaque and a reward to honor his bravery.
