“I didn’t think. I just wanted to help and save them.”
A 53-year-old Kosovo Albanian has been praised in Switzerland after rushing toward a burning car and helping rescue four young people trapped inside following a serious crash in Wohlen, in the canton of Aargau.
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The dramatic incident happened on Wednesday evening on Alte Bremgarterstrasse, where a Fiat Punto reportedly left the road on a left-hand bend and collided with a tree. The vehicle caught fire shortly afterwards.
According to 20 Minuten, Limoni was on his way home when he noticed what initially appeared to be a fire near the roadside. He soon realized that a badly damaged vehicle was burning and that people were trapped inside.
Several people had already gathered at the scene, but Limoni says that some were simply watching.
He shouted at them to help.
Then he ran toward the burning vehicle.
“Help me, I’m dying”
When Limoni opened the car door, he saw three young men who appeared to be unconscious. A 17-year-old girl was still conscious.
She was screaming for help.
According to Limoni's account to 20 Minuten, her words — “Help me, I’m dying” — are something he says he will never forget.
The fire was already intense, with flames rising several metres into the air.
Despite the danger, Limoni and other first responders worked to get the occupants away from the burning vehicle.
A knife was needed to cut the seat belts and free those trapped inside.
“I didn’t think. I just wanted to help and save them,” Limoni said.
During the rescue, he himself suffered burns to his hands and forehead and had to receive medical treatment.
Four young people rescued
According to the information reported about the accident, the four occupants were Italian citizens living in Switzerland: a 17-year-old girl and three young men aged 17, 18 and 21.
Two of the victims suffered serious injuries and were transported by Rega rescue helicopters to university hospitals in Basel and Zurich.
The other two were taken to hospital by ambulance with moderate to serious injuries.
The Aargau police said that the first responders succeeded in rescuing all four occupants from the burning Fiat.
The exact circumstances that caused the crash remain under investigation.
The emergency services were initially alerted through an automatic accident notification from a mobile phone.
“Why are you waiting?”
For Limoni, however, the most difficult part of the incident was not only the fire.
It was seeing people standing nearby and watching.
He said he was disappointed that some bystanders did not immediately intervene.
His message to people who encounter an accident is simple:
“Stop. Just stop.”
According to Limoni, people should check whether anyone inside needs help instead of simply continuing on their way or standing at a distance.
His own actions illustrate the importance — and also the danger — of intervening at an accident scene.
People should not put themselves unnecessarily in danger, particularly around fire or severely damaged vehicles. The safest response is to alert emergency services immediately and follow the instructions of professional rescuers.
But Limoni did something that night that cannot easily be measured by words.
He saw people in danger.
And he moved toward them.
A story bigger than nationality
Ajdin Limoni's story has attracted attention in Switzerland because of the courage he displayed during a chaotic and dangerous situation.
But there is another reason his story matters.
He is a Kosovo Albanian living in Switzerland, and his actions have once again placed an Albanian name in the Swiss media for a reason entirely different from the stereotypes that often surround migration and integration.
He did not ask who the people inside the vehicle were.
He did not ask where they came from.
He saw four human beings trapped inside a burning car.
And he acted.
For a man who suffered burns himself during the rescue, his reaction afterward was remarkably simple.
When asked how he felt, he said that knowing he had managed to save people made him feel relatively well despite his injuries.
The burns may leave scars.
But the four people he helped rescue are alive.
And that is the part of the story that matters most.