For Man Trapped Under Enormous Tire, Crossfit Enthusiast in Right Place at Right Time
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A local man is lucky to be alive, officials said, after being trapped under an enormous tractor tire at an outdoor mall—and rescued by a Crossfit enthusiast.
Frank Gibbs, 61, was strolling along a sidewalk around 10 a.m. yesterday at the Grovers Corners Outlets when the incident occurred.
“There I was, walking along, minding my own business,” Gibbs said in an interview. “And then the next thing I know, boom! I’m on my back, under this gargantuan tire.”
The origin of the enormous tire, and how it came to fall on Gibbs, remains a mystery.
Almost immediately a crowd of onlookers gathered, responding to Gibbs’ screams. One by one, witnesses told Dumb Runner, they tried and failed to extricate Gibbs.
Until, that is, Howie Newsome appeared.
Newsome, 27, a self-described “fitness enthusiast” and member of a local Crossfit gym, stepped forward, warned others to stand back, and flipped the tire over.
“Just like that,” said Simon Stimson, an onlooker. “This guy squats down, grips the tire, and turns it clean over. I mean, thank God he was there.”
Newsome shrugged off the accolades.
“I’m a Crossfit guy,” he said. “I’d been training for that moment all my life.”
Gibbs suffered a few scrapes and bruised ribs, officials said, but isn’t seriously hurt.
“Mostly I’m grateful,” Gibbs said. “And still trying to process the whole thing. I can’t believe something like this could happen in our town.”
