WOODSTOCK, Ont. — Over the weekend the bravery of a passing truck driver was credited with saving the lives of two women trapped in a wrecked car that killed three of their companions.

The accident occurred on Hwy. 401 east of Woodstock, Ont. when a car carrying five people sideswiped a transport truck, says a spokesperson for the Ontario Provincial Police.

The car crashed into another truck and immediately caught fire. Truck driver Martin Baumber sprang to action moments after coming on the scene.

“There (were) five people in a car dying and I knew it was a matter of seconds,” he says. “The flames were all over the doors and I just grabbed what I could. I just did what I could.”

Baumber says one woman grasped a rosary as he pulled her from the wreckage.

“When I saw that, I just yanked her out,” Baumber adds. “I just thought I was sent here to do something.”

He was able to pull one other woman to safety before flames engulfed the car and killed three others still trapped inside.

“It was eerie,” adds the trucker. “These women weren’t even screaming. I think they were at peace — they knew they were going to die.”

Both of the women were taken to hospital, one by air ambulance. Their conditions are not currently known.