By Kim Janssen
The Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — Bystanders heroically rescued two young girls and a dog from a crashed car before it caught fire and exploded on the far South Side on Saturday night — but they couldn’t free the girls’ trapped mom in time.
Christina Bates, 23, died after her 1993 Cadillac crashed into a pole and burned at 6:30 p.m. on East 130th Street near Evans.
“We heard the crash and ran across the street,” said Flanders McCurdy, 36, one of several men who rushed to Bates’ aid. “We tried to get her out, but she was stuck under the steering wheel.”
The men smashed the windows to get Bates’ daughters, 4-month-old Jakaya and 3-year-old Jamiya, and pet Pug, Shiny, from the back seat, McCurdy said.
“I had the baby in my arms; the others were trying to get the mom out, but the bottom of the car was on fire,” he said.
Fearing for their safety, the men retreated. “The moment they stepped back, it went ‘boom!’ and exploded,” he said.
Bates’ mother, Joyce Calvin, met with the men at Christ Hospital, where the children were treated Sunday, and thanked them for doing “everything they could.”
“They deserve a huge reward — they risked their lives,” she said.
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