Restaurant manager helps rescue couple from fiery Highway 17 Bypass crash

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - One man rose to the occasion as he helped rescue a couple moments before their car caught fire on a busy highway in the Surfside Beach area.

Bonefish Grill manager Joseph Moreau, better known as Joe, heard the moment three cars crashed Thursday afternoon on Highway 17 Bypass at Coventry Road, saying it sounded like a big bang.

Moreau sprung into action once he realized what happened, running through a marshy ditch to get to the highway to help.

He saw a couple was trapped inside one of the cars and jumped into action.

“The older gentleman rolled down his window and said, ‘I can’t get the door open, I can’t get the door open,” Moreau recalled.

He pried open one of the doors and pulled the couple to safety just as the car caught fire.

Moreau also told someone to get a fire extinguisher from the restaurant while he helped save a third person from another car.

Right after the couple got out, that’s when Joe said the tires exploded.

Horry County Fire Rescue and the Horry County Police Department responded to the scene as well.

HCFR said one person was taken to the hospital for their injuries.

While others might, Joe isn’t calling himself a hero and instead calling the rescue a team effort.

“It always takes a team. I think it’s tough to put that on me. I think it was a group of Good Samaritans that helped the community and not just me alone,” Moreau said.

He did say being a restaurant manager at Bonefish Grill prepares him for high-stress situations.

“I thrive in chaos, that’s kitchen work in general, that’s restaurant work in general. You have to keep calm in chaos,” Moreau explained.

Speaking of the restaurant, that’s where Moreau said the couple he helped rescue was on the way to before the crash. He said the couple had made reservations for dinner.

Moreau’s boss at the Bonefish Grill said he couldn’t be prouder of him. Moreau has worked at the restaurant for about two years.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

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