VIDEO: Florida officer rescues fiery crash victim
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Body camera footage shows the moment a Lauderhill police officer rushes in to save people trapped in a burning car Thursday.
Around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, a blue Mercedes slammed into a silver Chevy sedan, killing one and leaving three injured, NBC affiliate WTVJ reported.
Young Florida girl struck, killed by car on her way to elementary school
The body camera, worn by Officer Jason Reyes, shows the aftermath.
Officer Reyes is seen taking over for a witness trying to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
“There’s two people in here?” Reyes asked in the footage. “Where?”
Officer Reyes used the fire extinguisher until firefighters arrived. He then helps smash the car window to rescue the survivor.
Reyes told WTVJ it was difficult to see if any survivors were still trapped in the vehicles, but the situation demanded he put himself in harm’s way.
“Walking up to it, you’re not knowing if anybody’s there to begin with so, there’s a fire, there’s a risk that you might get burned in the mix, but you have to check to see if there’s somebody inside that car,” Reyes said. “You have to kind of put yourself aside and, you know, act.”
Officer Reyes said it was a close call for the survivor in the car.
“She was scrunched up almost underneath the steering wheel, so getting her out–I was very surprised when she was breathing,” he said. “There was a little bit of relief, and shortly after that, the car was engulfed. So it was a tight, tight timeline.”
Four people were taken to the hospital. WTVJ reported the driver of the Chevy, 50-year-old Darly Walker, did not survive.
One of the victims has since been released, while two others remain in the hospital in stable condition.
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