Teen Pulls Couple from Wreckage in Loma Portal Hit-and-Run Crash

β€œIt hurt my heart because they were helpless," the teenager told NBC 7.

A San Diego teenager was one of the first to jump in and help a couple trapped and in shock following in a hit-and-run crash in Loma Portal Saturday.

β€œIt hurt my heart because they were helpless and didn’t know what to do," said 18-year-old Nida Wongsri.

Wongsri told NBC 7 she first spotted the couple's minivan near the intersection of Chatsworth Boulevard and Elliot Street Saturday night, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said.

The minivan crashed on its side and the couple inside - described by police as elderly - were hanging from their seatbelts.

Wongsri ran to the vehicle and, with another passerby, broke through the glass and popped the airbag.

Firefighters arrived and were able to extract the couple by cutting the roof of the minivan. The driver had been recovering from a recent surgery and was in a lot of pain, police said. 

Both the man and woman are expected to be okay, according to police.

The second driver in the crash fled the scene according to officials.

Wongsri was disheartened by the crime.

"I don't understand how people could be so, what if there is a child in there," she said. "No matter what your situation you're going through do the right thing. Stop. Do the right thing. You're making it worse by leaving."

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