I have severe anxiety, but when I saved a man from a burning car I felt calm

Keni Vukici pulled a man from a fiery car after a crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Being in a crisis "is good for me", he says.

A man in a courtyard stands with his hands in his pockets, looking at the camera with a neutral expression.

Keni Vukici didn't hesitate to help pull a man out of a fiery car after a crash, despite the immediate dangers. Source: SBS

This week's Insight episode To the Rescue looks at what drives us to want to save others — and whether we should we always dive in. Watch on

SBS On Demand.

Stream free On Demand

To The Rescue

episode • Insight •
Current Affairs •
52m

One minute, I was heading north across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on my way to work. The next, I was pulling a man from a fiery car crash who had just cut me off.

I’ll never forget that day in March 2022.

Moments before the accident, a man in an SUV was flying, almost hitting me as he crossed three lanes of traffic before crashing head-on into a white van and flipping over.

I passed my medical but still didn't feel safe. Why older drivers are surrendering their licences

I was inside the car with the windows up but I could feel concussion from the impact.

I believe there's a duty of care we all need to live by, so I didn’t hesitate to pull my ute over to block three lanes and stop the traffic.

A badly damaged vehicle on its side on a roadway

One of the vehicles involved in the crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2022. Source: AAP / Steven Saphore

I got out and ran towards the white van but when I saw someone already helping, I decided to try to rescue the driver from the wreckage of the SUV, now upside-down and smoking.

On approach I found a man already at the window on the driver's side, pulling someone out. I went around to the passenger side to see if someone else was in there.

I had to push in the smashed glass and move the curtain airbags, so I could see inside the vehicle.

There was a strong smell of fuel and the engine was smouldering.

I believe there's a duty of care we all need to live by.
Keni Vukici

When I realised there was no one else in the car, I returned to the driver's side with another man to help the driver out of the vehicle.

It was so crazy, the driver was putting up a fight before passing out, waking up, taking swings at us and then passing out again.

With a background in security, I suspected he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

We managed to get him on the floor, by which point the flames grew until half the car was on fire. We tried to move the man a safe distance from the scene.

A car wreck is loaded onto a truck on the Sydney Harbour Bridge after a road accident.

A car that caught fire is removed from the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in March 2022. Source: AAP / Steven Saphore

It was then I noticed there was a third car involved, to which I ran up to find a woman in her 50s sitting inside, obviously in shock.

"I think you need to get out of the car," I told her, so I helped her out too.

I then filmed a video of the scene on the Harbour Bridge with its fire, smoke and traffic piled up for hundreds of metres, thinking it would be useful.

I gave the video to the police and decided to get on my way to work.

As I walked to my ute my knees felt sore, and I remembered that I'd done an overly vigorous power slide before ending up on my knees in glass.

On my way to work, I picked out the shards.

Gerry took control of a crashing plane. He says the way he makes decisions saved his life

A crisis 'is good for me'

I’m good in a crisis; I find serenity in it.

I have heavy anxiety on a day-to-day basis, but in a crisis I'm forced to think in the here and now, and my mind stops wandering.

So it's good for me in a way.

I've also got a subconscious need for relevance.

What I didn’t know that day was the man I'd helped drag to safety was high on drugs and had stolen the car. He's now in prison.

But that wouldn't have changed my actions. In my mind, a life is a life, and we should make any effort to save one — then we should let the justice system take its course.

A man in a grey shirt stands in a leafy courtyard and smiles at the camera.

Keni Vukici believes every effort should be made to safe a life, no matter who the person is. Source: SBS

When you help a stranger, you never know who they are, who their family is, whether they have a partner or kids.

In this driver's case, this event could end up being a turning point in his life, where he may decide to pursue a different path.

This accident may be a big lesson for him that leads him to realise he's meant to do so much more with his life.

If people start looking at even the smallest situations as a duty, it could make the world of difference.

And for more stories head to

Insightful – a new podcast series from SBS,

hosted by Kumi Taguchi. From sex and relationships to health, wealth, and grief Insightful offers deeper dives into the lives and first person stories of former guests from the acclaimed TV show, Insight.

Follow Insight

Insight is Australia's leading forum for debate and powerful first-person stories offering a unique perspective on the way we live. Read more about Insight

Watch now