The Fourth of July is usually associated with fireworks, cookouts, and spending time with friends and family. For one driver in Michigan, however, the holiday nearly ended in tragedy after their vehicle caught fire.
Fortunately, an Osceola County Sheriff’s deputy and several passing Good Samaritans didn’t hesitate to run toward the flames to pull the driver to safety. It’s one thing to call 911 and wait for first responders to arrive.
It’s another thing entirely to see a burning vehicle and decide you’re going to run toward it instead of away from it. Thankfully, that’s exactly what happened here, and thanks to the quick actions of everyone involved, the driver made it out alive.
The video that adds context to the entire situation is below. Not only does it show the bravery of the officers involved, but also that of the bystanders who just happened to be in the area when tragedy struck.
Bodycam Captures the Race to Rescue a Driver From the Flames
Give the video below a moment to load. The contents of the video involve a real-life rescue that some viewers might find distressing.
The video is pretty intense, starting from the very beginning. The officer whose body camera is the one being used to record the incident can be seen hurriedly shuffling through things in the trunk of his police cruiser before valiantly heading over to a burning red truck.
When the officer arrives, the flames appear to be focused on the hood of the truck, with the driver not responding in the driver’s seat. After the fire was temporarily put out using fire extinguishers, both the officer and a few bystanders decided to take action.
Unfortunately, the door of the truck was either bent out of shape or melted because it couldn’t be opened easily, forcing the officer and another person to use tools to try to pry it open. Throughout the wait for the door to finally be opened, the officer continued to spray the fire extinguisher at the flames to temporarily put them out.
When the Door Wouldn’t Open, They Found Another Way To Save Him
It seems that the door simply couldn’t be opened, so the officer defaulted to another idea: try pulling him out the window. This ended up being the best option because the man driving was able to be taken out and dragged onto the grassy floor to a safer area.
The man’s face is blurred out for the duration of the video, though it is unclear if this is to obscure his identity or because of injuries to his face. Shortly after this, the video ends with fire crews taking a hose out to the still-burning truck.
It appears that several bystanders also take care of the man as he lies on the floor until an ambulance or rescue team arrives.
Commenters Praise the Deputy and Civilians Who Didn’t Hesitate
Commenters were just as shocked by the entire incident as I’m sure you were. One person wrote, “I drove by just seconds after this happened. So scary. Thank you to everyone who responded so quickly — you truly make a difference. Stay safe out there!”
Similarly, another highly-liked comment with 67 likes simply read, “That Officer needs a raise!” After everything that he witnessed on that day, I’d like to think that he was rewarded in some way for his bravery; the bystanders as well.
Additional research couldn’t procure the name of the driver who was behind the wheel of the red truck, or why he was at the location that he was. A police report could also not be procured. Hopefully, there were no major injuries at the scene.