Driver Rescued From Fiery Car Crash In Cartersville (UPDATED)

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- The quick-thinking of bystanders helped save the life of a man whose car caught fire following a three-vehicle collision Wednesday morning in Bartow County.

Bartow County EMS crews responded to the accident on S.R. 113 at Beasley Road just outside the Cartersville city limits. They arrived to find a male patient with an "altered mental status," said spokesperson Brad Cothran.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, the crash took place around 6:34 a.m. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

The first vehicle, a 2005 Jeep Wrangler driven by 29-year-old Luke Stinson of Pomeroy, Ohio, was stopped southbound on S.R. 113 waiting on traffic while the second vehicle, a Ford Ranger driven by Trent Jordan Arwood, 24, of Tallapoosa, was stationed behind the Jeep.

It's unknown whether the Ford was slowing down or stopped, the state agency added. A 2013 Nissan Altima, the third vehicle driven by 38-year-old James Richard Taylor of Canton, was traveling behind the Ford when it hit the pickup truck in the rear. That impact forced the second vehicle to crash into the back of the Jeep.

The male inside the Altima was removed from the vehicle by witnesses after his car caught fire, he added. Emergency medical personnel assessed the patient and transported him to Floyd Medical Center for follow-up care.

The two other motorists involved in the crash declined transportation to the hospital. The Georgia State Patrol said Arwood was cited for following too closely.

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