A Good Samaritan risked his life to save someone in a burning car on I-55 in Perry County Missouri early Wednesday morning.

The situation started around 1 a.m. about 5 miles north of Perryville, at mile marker 132.8.

That's where police say Kurtus Austin, 24, of St. Charles, Missouri, rear-ended a tractor trailer going at a high rate of speed. Austin's car then was lodged under the trailer and caught fire.

Witnesses say two of the three people inside the car were able to get out. But it was a passerby who pulled over to help that saved the day.

A witness says Brandon Holtgrewe pulled one of the passengers out of the burning car.

Holtgrewe says four people were in the car.  He says he helped one female out of the car, then pulled a man out who was bleeding.

Holtgrewe says while he was pulling the male out, his T-shirt caught on fire and singed his hair.

PERRY COUNTY, MO (KFVS) - Battle of the Belt, a high school seat belt challenge, offers musical incentives as rewards this year to area schools that sign up to be a part of the challenge.

Ford Driving Skills For Life has donated $20,000 worth of iTunes cards as rewards through a grant provided by the Governors Highways Safety Association.

"Battle of the Belt is a fun and creative way to help teens learn the importance of making it click," said Leanna Depue, chair of executive committee of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. "It is unique because teens survey their peers and provide activities that reinforce how seat belts save lives."

MoDOT says according to a 2011 survey, only 67 percent of Missouri teens buckle up compared with 79 percent of Missourians and 85 percent of people across the state.