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Pinellas County woman searches for good Samaritan after escaping truck fire: ‘We wouldn’t have made it’

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Published  March 27, 2025 10:54pm EDT
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News

Saved by a good Samaritan

FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports on a woman searching for the good Samaritan who alerted her and her boyfriend that their truck was on fire, giving them enough time to bail out.

The Brief

    • A woman credits a good Samaritan for saving her life, along with the lives of her boyfriend and dog.
    • She says the man alerted her that her car was on fire, leading her to bail out just before the windows started cracking.
    • She is asking for community help to find him and say thank you.

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. - A Pinellas County woman feels lucky to be alive after her truck caught fire, and now, she's looking for the man she credits with saving her life.

Paxton's truck burnt after the fire.

What they're saying:

On Wednesday, Deborah Paxton was driving her truck to take her boyfriend to work on Madeira Beach. They were going over the 150th Avenue Drawbridge when a man on a bike started screaming at them.

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"‘Your car is on fire,’ and he kept pointing up. I look up, and there’s black smoke and flames shooting up," said Paxton.

The 150th Avenue Drawbridge where Paxton's truck caught fire.

She pulled over and bailed out of the truck with her boyfriend and her dog, Willow, and not a second too soon.

"That smoke started coming into the cab, the windows were cracking within seconds," said Paxton. "I was scared it was going to blow up."

Dig deeper:

Paxton says first responders told her that they might not have made it if they didn't get out when they did.

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So, she took to Facebook to try and find the good Samaritan who flagged her down, hoping he would see her message of gratitude.

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Paxton's truck burnt after the fire.

"I can't even express how thankful I am for this guy, because I wouldn’t be sitting here today if it wasn’t for him getting our attention. So, if you are out there, from the bottom of our hearts and my dog, we thank you," Paxton said.

That post has already gotten lots of traction, leading some of Paxton’s neighbors to think they know who he is. 

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"I’d give him a big hug," Paxton said.

What's next:

There is no official word on what caused the fire.

Paxton's truck burnt after the fire.

Paxton tells FOX 13 she was hauling some boxes and a carpet, and wonders if someone flicked a cigarette out the window to cause the fire. Paxton had just gotten that truck a few weeks ago.

The Source: FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis collected the information in this story.

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