Barry Wolk remembers counting bright lights as his classic 1942 Lincoln Zephyr flipped in the air on Aug. 7.
He counted five - once for every time the classic car flipped after a crash with a semitrailer on eastbound M-14 between Joy Road and Gotfredson Road in Plymouth.
Wolk isn't quite sure what made him start counting. He remembers thinking, "Why did this happen?"
Moments before, he had looked up to see a fast approaching semitrailer, the 63-year-old Farmington Hills man said.
He and his wife, Glynette, 62, were supposed to be headed to a car show in St. Joseph but had turned around because his vehicle, recently restored, wasn't running the way it should have, he said.
He was driving at 55 mph when he saw the truck, he said. When he looked again, he saw only the truck's front grill in his rear-view mirror.
Wolk said he thinks the female driver may have tried to swerve to prevent the crash.
Then, he saw the lights.
When the car landed on its roof, he turned to his wife -- his high school sweetheart who he's been with for 45 years - to find her unconscious and hanging from her seatbelt.
"There was no light in her eyes," he said, fighting back tears. "She looked dead."
Wolk said that he had almost lost his wife five years ago to cancer, and although he feared the worst, he knew they had to move. He could hear a distinctive sound outside the car -- the sound of grass on fire.
"I wasn't going to leave her there," he said, his voice cracking.
After unbuckling Glynette, letting her limp body fall onto him and pushing her out of the car, Barry said he rolled over her to get out. He saw flames almost 10 feet high and began dragging Glynette out of the ditch where they had landed.
The task was difficult; his leg was badly injured.
"I was on autopilot," he said. "It's amazing what fear does to you."
He made it about 10 feet before his leg collapsed. A good Samaritan then arrived and took his wife up to the road.
After he went about 10 feet more on his own, the gas tank exploded. Luckily, six more good Samaritans returned to carry Wolk, who weighs about 265 lbs and stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, up the embankment.
By this time, Glynette was conscious, but kept repeating herself, asking where he was and what happened - an indicator of a head injury, Wolk said.
He made sure they rode in an ambulance together and were roomed together at the hospital.
Glynette was found to have a concussion from the crash, a broken bone in her sinus cavity and extreme bruising all around her body.
Barry Wolk said doctors believe the crash may have pulled a muscle in his leg or pinched a nerve, aggravating a previous injury. He also had bruising.
But as they continue toward recovery, Wolk said he and Glynette are thankful to be alive - and for each other.
"Had the situation been reversed that I'd been unconscious, she would have tried to save me, and she probably would have died trying to do it," he said.
Wolk declined to discuss the semitrailer driver involved, but advocated for the use of seatbelts - even in classic cars.
The couple has shared their passion for classic cars since their first date, Wolk said.
He also said drivers should be sure to be aware of their surroundings.
On Wednesday, Michigan State Police Sgt. Mark Thompson said officials were investigating who was at fault in the crash and noted the incident remained under investigation.
No information on the status of the semi driver was available.
Although Glynette Wolk was busy with doctor's appointments following the crash, Barry Wolk said she keeps talking about everything that went into her rescue.
"She knows I saved her life," he said.
The two are thankful for all the support from the auto community, friends, family, first responders and medical personnel who have aided them since the crash.
While their journey to recovery isn't over yet, Barry Wolk said he's happy to be doing it together.
"We're strong, and we're a team, and that's often time all you need," he said.
Darcie Moran covers cops and courts for MLive and The Ann Arbor News. Email her at dmoran@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter @darciegmoran.