• On his way to work, Zach Dollich, a Personal Safety Professional at Marathon Petroleum, pulled a woman from a burning car along I-75 in northwest Ohio.

• His quick thinking and instinctive action, just minutes before the car was engulfed in flames, potentially saved her life.

• This act of heroism came as no surprise to those who know Dollich, whom they describe as always stepping up when others need help.

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“I honestly didn’t think about it. I knew something was wrong, and someone needed my help.”

That was the immediate response from Zach Dollich, a personal safety professional at Marathon Petroleum, when asked what went through his mind as he ran toward a smoking car on the side of Interstate 75 in northwest Ohio one Tuesday morning in June.

Dollich was driving his normal southbound route when he noticed smoke rising from a vehicle on the shoulder. At first, he assumed it was a flat tire or overheated brakes.

“But as I got closer, I saw more sparks and the smoke was getting heavier,” he said. “It didn’t make sense for just a tire or brake issue. That’s when I knew it was more serious.”

He immediately pulled over.

Jumping out of his truck, Dollich ran toward the car. Small flames had begun forming under the engine compartment, and thick, dark smoke was pouring out. That’s when he saw her.

“A woman was hanging partway out of the driver’s side window,” he said. “She told me the door wouldn’t open.”

That woman was 71-year-old Linda VanDenEynde of Findlay, Ohio. She had left home early that morning to meet her cousin in Detroit, where the two planned to honor her cousin’s late husband by laying his ashes to rest.

But after her car began surging and struggling to maintain speed, she decided to turn around. Just a few minutes from home, it gave out on the side of I-75.

“I didn’t even know it was on fire,” VanDenEynde said. “I thought it was just smoke from the engine. I had the windows rolled up and was trying to call AAA. People were passing me, just going around like nothing was wrong. But Zach saw it and stopped.”

She shut off the engine. That’s when the car locked.

“I couldn’t get the doors open. I started pounding on the windows. Then I saw flames coming into the car.”

She managed to lower the window just a few inches. It was barely enough to fit her head through.

“I yelled, ‘Pull me out. Please, just pull me out.’ And he did,” said VanDenEynde. “He grabbed me and pulled me through that tiny space. I was bruised up from trying to squeeze out, but we got away from the car.”

“He wasn’t just in the right place at the right time that day. He made a choice to stop. Because of that, I’m still here.”

They ran together. Within moments, her car was engulfed in flames.

“If he hadn’t stopped, I would still have been sitting in that car,” she said. “I would have died. No one else stopped, but he did. He didn’t know me, but he risked everything to save me. That kind of courage stays with you. He saved my life.”

She said that once they were safe from danger, neither of them could believe what had just brought them together. Two strangers now connected forever.

“I’ll never forget his face,” said VanDenEynde.

As they watched the flames take over the car, a Hancock County EMS supervisor who was passing by stopped and tried to put out the fire with a handheld extinguisher, but the flames were already too intense. Dollich had called 911, and emergency crews arrived a short time later.

“It all happened so fast,” Dollich said. “It was scary how quickly the car was basically gone.”

His military background, including serving nearly six years in the Army, along with his role at Marathon Petroleum, helped him stay calm and do his best to keep VanDenEynde calm, too.

“When she said the door wouldn’t open, and I saw that smoke, I just reacted,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking about myself. I just knew she needed help, and I wasn’t going to let her down.”

After making sure VanDenEynde was safe, Dollich stayed to speak with law enforcement. Then he got back in his truck and continued on to work.

“I called my girlfriend right away,” he said. “Told her what happened. She was shocked. I think I was, too.”

Later that day, VanDenEynde’s son called Dollich to personally thank him.

“That really meant something,” he said. “I wasn’t looking for thanks but hearing that appreciation was humbling. It made me feel like what I did mattered.”

VanDenEynde said even if she never sees him again, he will always hold a special place in her heart.

“He wasn’t just in the right place at the right time that day,” said VanDenEynde. “He made a choice to stop. Because of that, I’m still here. My family still has me.”

Dollich doesn’t consider himself a hero but hopes the story might inspire others to step up if they’re ever in a position to help someone in need.

“It definitely made me reflect on how quickly things can change,” he said. “One minute you’re driving to work, thinking about your to-do list. The next minute, someone’s life might depend on you.”

News of the incident quickly spread through the office, and for those who know Dollich, his actions came as no surprise.

"Zach is the kind of person who doesn’t wait for someone else to step up in a time of crisis. He runs toward the problem and finds a way to help,” said Regina Cooper, Senior Training Specialist at Marathon Petroleum. “When I told him how amazing and brave he was, Zach modestly replied that anyone would have done the same. But he was the one who stopped and helped."

For Dollich, it all comes back to doing the right thing.

“I wasn’t going to not do something,” he said. “Even if you can’t jump in directly, there’s always something you can do. Call 911, alert others, guide emergency crews. It all matters. And on that day, I will forever be thankful I was there when it mattered most.”