Turkish driver hailed as hero after daring rescue in Canadian snowstorm crash

ISTANBUL

A Turkish national has been hailed as a hero in Canada’s Ontario province after rescuing a woman from a burning vehicle and providing emergency aid to the injured during a massive multi-vehicle crash caused by a severe snowstorm.

The accident occurred on Highway 401, one of Canada’s busiest transport corridors, when blizzard conditions caused a tractor-trailer to skid and completely block the road.

Moments later, an SUV slammed into the truck’s fuel tank, bursting into flames and triggering a chain reaction crash involving around 50 vehicles.

One of the truck drivers caught in the collision was Işık Altınışık, a Turkish immigrant living in Canada.

Realizing that the SUV ahead of him was on fire and about to explode, Altınışık broke the rear window of the vehicle and pulled the driver, identified as Theresa Rozendaal, to safety. He then returned to the crash scene to assist other injured drivers until emergency teams arrived. The vehicle reportedly exploded seconds after Rozendaal was rescued.

Canadian media praised the 40-year-old for his composure and life-saving actions, describing him in headlines as an “immigrant doctor turned truck driver.” Altınışık, who owns a trucking firm in Mississauga, later clarified that he is not a physician, though he has first-aid knowledge and familiarity with medical terminology due to his parents both being doctors.

He also studied medicine briefly in Türkiye before completing an engineering degree.

Speaking about the rescue, Altınışık said he felt no pain at the time despite later discovering a broken finger and cuts from shattered glass.

“My only goal at that moment was to get that mother out of there,” he said.

Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon, as well as Türkiye’s ambassador to Ottawa and consul general in Toronto, personally contacted Altınışık to thank him.

Canadian authorities have confirmed that formal recognition for his bravery is under consideration. Despite the praise, Altınışık remains modest, saying he was simply “in the right place at the right time.”