Onterrio Burris said he only had enough time to grab his house keys and wallet before the truck was completely engulfed in flames
Credit: GoFundMe (2)
NEED TO KNOW
- A Sacramento area man was driving home earlier this week when his brakes suddenly gave out
- Escalating the issue, the hood started aggressively smoking before the vehicle completely burst into flames
- The man says his truck held sentimental value since it was a gift from his grandfather and was how he got to work
A Sacramento area man survived after his truck brakes suddenly failed and then his vehicle caught on fire.
Onterrio Burris, 20, told local NBC affiliate KCRA-TV that he was heading home on Monday morning when his brakes suddenly gave out just a mile from his house.
"I'm pushing it all the way down, like, to the floorboard. And there's no brakes at all," Burris told the outlet.
In a GoFundMe started by his family, Burris said that he tried to stay calm as he coasted through intersections.
"I did everything I could," he wrote. "Then it got worse."
"Out of nowhere, I saw bright orange flames coming through my dashboard vents. Smoke started pouring into the cab while I was still driving. Leaving me seconds to react," he continued. "I slammed my emergency brake and jumped out. I tried to pop the hood to stop the fire, but the latch cable had already melted. There was nothing I could do."
"I barely made it out alive," he added.
Speaking with KCRA, Burris said that he tried to find a solution for about 10 seconds, but during that time he "could already feel the effect" from breathing in the flames and smoke.
In the end, he said he only had enough time to grab his house keys and wallet before the truck was completely engulfed in flames.
While Burris told KCRA he was "super lucky" to survive, the loss of his truck has been difficult.
In addition to being his "pride and joy," and a gift from his grandfather, the truck was also his only reliable transportation to get to his work as a wrestling coach at Roseville High School.
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"I've had to help a lot of kids out at times, so they've seen [the truck] a lot, and they know how much I cared about it, so that's why it kinds of makes them sad to see that this happened to me," Burris told KCRA.
As of Friday, March 27, over $3,000 has been raised to help cover expenses.
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