Weightlifter Moves 2-Ton SUV to Help Trapped Man

Ryan Belcher is used to powerlifting, but this was on a whole other scale
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 18, 2019 12:54 PM CST

When a Jeep Cherokee crashed into a speed limit sign in Michigan Thursday and flipped over, trapping a 36-year-old man inside, a group of people tried in vain to help him. Then along came professional weightlifter Ryan Belcher. The 29-year-old heard the crash from his workplace, called 911, then quickly went to help—and was able to move the two-ton SUV off the 36-year-old man, who was half in and half out of the shattered driver's side window, the upper half of his body pushed up against the sign. "I just kind of got tunnel vision," Belcher, who trains at the gym five days a week, tells MLive. “And then I grabbed the back, where the window was smashed out and lifted up and started pushing." He leveraged his body to shove the vehicle what he estimates was one to three feet. Medics had reached the scene by then and were able to complete the rescue.

The Jeep had been stopped on Michigan Avenue for an unknown reason when another vehicle struck it from behind; the crash is still under investigation. The man and a 44-year-old woman who was in the other car were taken to the hospital; police say "both drivers suffered significant injuries, but were alert on the scene" and there were no fatalities. As for Belcher, he tells Fox News he met with the man and his family Sunday and they thanked him for his actions. "I figured what a better time now to use what I know I can actually do," says the powerlifter, who can squat 950 pounds, bench-press 530 pounds, and dead-lift 800 pounds. He adds, to WXYZ, "I like being called the Hulk, my son’s favorite is the Hulk and he always says my daddy is the Hulk. To say I’m a hero, I don’t know. I’m glad to have been there and I was put there for a reason." (More uplifting news stories.)

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