On May 17, 2026, an electric vehicle rolled onto its side in the breakdown lane of Interstate 495 North in Plainville, Massachusetts, and burst into flames, trapping a Cape Cod couple inside. Off-duty Ashland Fire Lt. Dave Iarussi and his wife, Sandy, were driving by when they spotted the wreck, and together with two other off-duty firefighters they broke through the windshield to pull Judi and Elmer Hirshfield-Baker to safety. Nearly three months later, the two couples reunited to revisit the rescue that bound their lives together.
According to WCVB-TV, Sandy Iarussi recorded video of the chaotic rescue as it unfolded on the highway, capturing her husband and two fellow off-duty firefighters working to free the trapped couple. Judi Hirshfield-Baker told reporter Todd Kazakiewich that she remembers watching David Iarussi try to break through the windshield as smoke and flames poured from the vehicle.
State Troopers and Local Fire Crews Rushed In
Massachusetts State Police troopers assigned to the Foxboro Barracks responded to the crash alongside the Foxboro and Wrentham fire departments, according to the Massachusetts State Police. One trooper sustained minor cuts from broken glass while helping pull the victims through the windshield, the agency said. Rescuers on scene lacked specialized hydraulic cutting tools and were forced to improvise with what was on hand.
David Iarussi is a 32-year veteran firefighter and EMT-B with the Ashland Fire Department who was honored in 2020 by the Massachusetts Fire Service Commission with a 40-year Firefighter Service Award recognizing his total years in public safety service, per Ashland Town News. That experience was on display the moment he and Sandy came upon the burning vehicle in Plainville.
Modern Windshields Wouldn’t Break
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 226 has required laminated safety glass in vehicle side windows since September 2018, making the glass far more resistant to standard spring-loaded window punches, according to Rescue42. That left rescuers needing heavy impacts or cutting tools just to get through, which is why Iarussi ultimately grabbed a rock from the side of the road to break the glass, the WCVB report states…