RIYADH: A Saudi man who risked his life driving a burning truck away from a petrol station, possibly preventing an explosion and saving lives, is “improving” in hospital, his nephew told Arab News on Tuesday.
Maher Fahd Al-Dalbahi, in his 40s, encountered the truck loaded with animal feed and engulfed in flames around 300 km outside Riyadh while driving to his village, Al-Salihiya, on Friday night.
The truck’s driver had abandoned the vehicle, leaving it dangerously close to the petrol pumps.
Al-Dalbahi climbed inside and steered it into an open area, away from crowds and fuel tanks.
His nephew, Khalid Eid Al-Otaibi, 31, described the moment: “My uncle got out of his car and ran to the truck to drive it away. As soon as he pulled it away, the fire started falling from the front, and the driver’s door was open.”
