Lesson Learned At School Helps Glencoe Man Escape Burning Vehicle

It's another day on the ranch for Callan Stossel, taking care of his animals in the snow and ice, which nearly cost him his life yesterday. Callan was backing out of his driveway on Wednesday, when he said he slid and hit a power pole. The pole crashed right above his head, sparking a fire.

"Once I saw the fire, it was kind of a no brainer. I thought I'd rather be electrocuted than burn alive," said Stossel.

A lesson learned during fire prevention week at school, when he was just a boy, quickly came to mind.

"I just opened the door and jumped and here we are today," Stossel said.

There are all kinds of videos to educate people on what to do if this happens to you. News On 6 found one from ESFi: "Do not touch the ground and the vehicle at the same time. Jump from your vehicle and land with both feet together.”

The same lesson was taught a little differently in the early 2000s.

"I think it was a slideshow on a projector,” said Stossel.

It's a good thing he was paying attention.

"You'd think it just kind of goes in one ear and out the other over your head, but, apparently it stuck, because it saved my life yesterday," Stossel said.

"All I can do is thank the good lord that Callan's still with us today," said Glencoe Elementary School Administrative Assistant Kimberly Clark.

Clark remembers these fire safety presentations because her husband, Randall, used to give them when he was the fire chief and a trooper. The fire department hasn't included this lesson for a few years, but plans to add it back after Stossel's survival story. Stossel is already educating his kids about what happened. He even has a plan to reinforce the lesson in the years to come.

“My boy said if I was backing out of the driveway, he said, I just wouldn't hit the pole," Stossel said.

Right now, they're just thankful for Stossel's memory, so they can share more for years to come.