Houston man dies days after good Samaritans rescue him from burning truck, family left picking up the pieces

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Man dies after being rescued from burning vehicle by Good Samaritans

EXCLUSIVE: FOX 26 Reporter Gabby Hart spoke with the man's family after a video seen on social media showed the rescue.

It’s footage that’s been viewed more than 30,000 times on social media, it shows good Samaritans working together to rescue a man from a burning truck on Houston’s Southside. It happened the day after Christmas near Scranton and Monroe Road.

The video shows a group of men throwing water on flames that are shooting from the vehicle; one man even spraying a small fire-extinguisher while another attempts to break the window with a heavy object. About one minute into the video, the good Samaritans were able to pull the victim, now identified as 49-year-old Victor Cervantes, from the truck. 

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"I’m real thankful and grateful for those people that risked their life, just to help my dad," said Victor Martinez, the son of Cervantes. 

Sadly, Martinez tells FOX 26 that his father died at the hospital from smoke inhalation just two days later. 

"He was really hurt from the trauma from the crash, and then since he was inside the truck and all the smoke and everything," Martinez said. 

Cervantes was just five minutes from his family’s home when the wreck happened, details as to what caused the crash are still unknown.   

"Right now, we’re in shock and just can’t believe it. My main focus is taking care of my little brothers and making sure they’re going to get through it," said Martinez. 

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Cervantes leaves behind five children, family, and co-workers who all loved him dearly. 

"He was just a loving guy. He was a mechanic, so he had a lot of people that knew him and loved him," Martinez said. 

Now, Martinez is tasked with trying to figure out how he’ll pay for his father’s funeral and help to support his younger siblings. 

"Unfortunately, I’m going to have to put overtime at work. But I’m going to try my best to help my mom and my brothers financially as much as I can," he said.

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The family has set up a fundraiser to help with his funeral and to support his children during this difficult time, you can find the link by clicking here