VIDEO: Dallas Police, Citizens Pull Man from Burning Car After Six-Vehicle Crash
Dallas, Texas, police worked with a group of citizens to pull a man from a burning car after a six-vehicle crash, according to a video of the incident.
Several 911 calls came in about the crash on September 19 at 6:40 p.m., according to a press release from the Dallas Police Department.
Officers Israel Banales, Jonathan Calder, and Jonathan Martinez arrived to find a car nearly covered in flames.
“Once we got past the intersection, we drove up, and we heard other citizens saying, ‘There’s someone in the car, there’s someone in the car,’” Martinez said Saturday, according to the video.
The officers hopped out of their cruisers and raced toward the burning car. The man inside appeared to have fallen unconscious due to the crash.
Officers, assisted by some bystanders, smashed the vehicle’s windows while others used water to put out the fire engulfing the car.
One citizen cut the seatbelt with a knife, allowing rescuers to bring the man to safety, Banales said.
The man suffered major burns to his body and was rushed to a nearby hospital. His condition is unclear at this time.
The officers said the rescue could not have been successful without the help of the bystanders at the scene.
“Three officers alone pulling on this guy wouldn’t have made it,” Martinez said. “It was the combination of the citizens putting their lives on the line, getting closer to that car, helping pull the gentleman out of the car, using water, using resources that they had.”
Police are investigating the cause of the crash.