Propane Delivery Driver Rescues Trapped Teen Sisters

HARRISON, Mich. (Jan. 9, 2017) — Good Samaritan and Blue Flame Propane delivery driver, Jason Croutch, of Harrison, Michigan, jumped into action last week to help out two teenage girls trapped inside a flipped vehicle in a ditch.

The girls who had the day off from school due to slick roads thought it would be safe to venture out in the afternoon to pick up some Chinese food. TV station ABC12 met up with the man who rescued the girls as he was getting ready to head out on another run Thursday afternoon.

Watch the TV report at

Jason Croutch says he doesn’t consider himself a hero, but what’s even more about remarkable about his actions – going down into a muck filled ditch to rescue two teens – Is that this isn’t the first time he’s stepped in to help out others. On Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, Jason Croutch was en route making propane deliveries in Harrison, when his work took a sudden U-Turn after he spotted this 2008 Chevy Cobalt flipped on its hood in a ditch.

“I was going to drive right on by and I saw some movement in the backseat so I stopped, pulled over and dialed 9-1-1,” explained Croutch. But the 45-year old father of six didn’t wait for help to arrive. He ran down into the ditch and was going to use a wrench to break open the back drivers side window to let out the two teenagers trapped inside:

“I cannot explain it,” noted Croutch referencing the car door, “I told their mom that I don’t know how I got the door opened, but it seemed to open.” 18 – year old Ellisa Bertrand-pictured here in the maroon sweater with her 14-year old sister Ryley Beadle during happier times–was driving the car when the girls hit a patch of ice. Clare County Sheriff John Wilson was the first responder on scene. He’s grateful Croutch decided to pull over in case it had been much worse.

“If they would have been hung up or knocked unconscious, I’ve seen accidents where there’s been positional asphyxiation where they were still in their seat belts and actually died because of asphyxiation and you know, you never know,” noted Wilson.

Jason – who doesn’t consider himself a hero – explains why he didn’t hesitate to act: “I have children, it’s emotional you know , I would hope somebody would do it for me.” This is not the first time Croutch has gone out of his way to help others. Two years ago this week he spotted a house fire and helped remove an elderly couple from their home.

“House on fire” he explained,”elderly couple inside on Oxygen, and went in there and got them out of there.” When asked about his plans for the first week of January in 2019 Croutch replied, “Vacatiion…vacation.” We asked him if that meant taking his wife on a cruise to which he replied, “that or the Keys, somewhere warm.”

Thankfully the girls, who were hanging upside down in the car, suffered only minor injuries. While they did not want to go on camera, their mother tells ABC12 that her daughter Ellisa is grateful that Jason stopped to help and was in the right place at the right time.

It’s people like Croutch who are the real heroes and make the propane industry so special.