Husband rescues wife when taco truck explodes the day before their 25th anniversary

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV/Gray News) - A Tennessee couple were lucky to live to see their 25th wedding anniversary after their taco truck exploded while they were inside.

Tiffany and Tim McPherson were in their Atwood-based food truck, TNT Tacos, preparing for a day’s work last Thursday when an explosion erupted. Their livelihood — and their lives — were suddenly in peril.

“From the force of the explosion I was blown back against the far wall where our sinks are and I was trapped,” said Tiffany McPherson in a message posted to a GoFundMe for the couple.

But Tim McPherson jumped into action. After being blown toward the truck’s exit, he rushed back in to free his wife and drag her out of the flaming vehicle. He saved their lives the day before their 25th wedding anniversary, which their daughter, Jada Pastrana, said they were lucky to live to see.

“It is truly a miracle and blessing they’re both alive,” wrote Pastrana on GoFundMe.

The couple were airlifted to a Nashville hospital, where they both have undergone surgery for multiple severe second- and third-degree burns across their bodies. Although they escaped with their lives, the blast has left them with a shaky road toward recovery.

Photos show Tiffany McPherson’s face and arms encased in gauze as she lies in a hospital bed holding her husband’s hands, which are also swathed in a medical wrap, as well as his legs.

Tiffany McPherson wrote in an update Monday that the couple are “in the process of surviving.” While they’ve each put their first surgery behind them, it’s likely to be far from their last.

Pastrana expects her parents to remain hospitalized for a few months – and once they get out, they will have to start over because TNT Tacos burned to the ground. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Pastrana.

However, the family’s loved ones and strangers have rallied to raise nearly $25,000 for the couple through GoFundMe, as of early Thursday.

“We need to express our heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who has helped us‚” Tiffany McPherson wrote on the fundraiser’s web page.

She also thanked the first responders and medical professionals who, “with the help of God,” have helped save their lives.

“Tim and I are survivors and we are in the process of surviving. We will always be forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support,“ she wrote. ”Thank you guys from the bottom of our hearts.”