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"Superhero" Lifts Van Off Jackson Man

JACKSON (WWJ) - A Jackson man is being called a superhero after saving his neighbor's life.

While working on his pick-up truck, 47-year-old Mike Treciak heard the desperate cries of his neighbors as their 50-year-old father and husband became trapped under his Chevy Venture minivan.

Treciak ran to their aid. Remarkably, the 6''3, 300 lb construction worker managed to lift the van off of Timothy Kirkland's chest.

"I didn't know if I could lift it off by myself. I was hoping the son could help me, but he got hurt so I had to do it all on my own. Just about the moment ... getting down there and getting it off that gentleman before something happened to him bad," Treciak told WWJ Newsradio 950.

"I grabbed ahold of the front fender and started lifting, and couldn't get it the first time. Then I just put all my might into it and lifted it up and they pulled him out," he said.

Firefighters arrived after the Kirkland had been rescued, and he was rushed to the hospital.

"There was a big mark across his chest ... I think his shirt was undone a little bit, he had a buttoned up shirt and it was hot, so there's a big mark where the frame was digging into it, for sure," Treciak said.

Kirkland, who had been working on his jacked minivan when the accident occurred, was treated for five broken ribs and a cracked sternum. Kirkland's 20-year-old son was also injured trying to help his dad, but is expected to be alright.

As for Treciak, he is expected to be nominated for a Red Cross hero award.

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