A 59-year-old Renton man was killed Saturday evening near Bakersfield, Calif., when he stopped to pull an elderly man from a burning car involved in a head-on collision, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.

Local media are calling the death of Steven McDaniel the story of a Good Samaritan. A local TV station wants to do a story about him.

McDaniel was traveling with his wife Amy on Highway 58, a multiple-lane freeway that runs east and west through California’s Central Valley, when they came upon a head-on collision at about 6:40 p.m.

Both vehicles in the collision had caught fire. McDaniel helped one man from his burning car, a Nissan Altima, then turned to help another man put out the flames engulfing his vehicle.

At that point, a third vehicle hit the Nissan, which in turn hit and killed McDaniel, according to Kelly Cowan, a supervising deputy coroner for the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.

McDaniel was born in Seattle on Sept. 6, 1949, to parents Edith and Robert McDaniel. He attended Foster High School and continued his education at Green River Community College. He then joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving in the Vietnam War. After returning home, he married Amy (Krueger) McDaniel on Sept. 13, 1975. He worked at Associated (Unified) Grocers for 40 years.

He is survived by his wife Amy, daughter Melissa and his mother Edith.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. today (Saturday) at Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 10940 S.E. 168th St., Renton. Pastor Glen Aaberg will officiate. Burial will be at Tahoma National Cemetery.

Contact Renton Reporter Editor Dean Radford at editor@rentonreporter.com or 1-425-255-3484 (ext 5050).

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.