Body cameras recorded a recent heart-pounding rescue by four McKinney police officers.
The officers were Brad Williams, Cameron Johnson, Cody Minwell and Chris Stephens.
“I saw the car was pretty much fully engulfed, then pretty quickly I learned that somebody was still inside,” said Stephens, who was first at the scene.
It happened along U.S. 75 near El Dorado Parkway shortly after midnight on July 5. The driver of a pickup truck had slammed into the barrier separating the exit ramp and service road.
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“Clearly there was still a window of opportunity to get that person out,” said Stephens.
Stephens approached the burning truck where a witness was already trying to help. They quickly realized the doors were jammed.
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“You're definitely on the clock because obviously that guy needs immediate medical attention and then you also don't know how long you have until that fire reaches the passenger compartment,” said Minwell.
Officers tried pulling the pinned and unconscious man through a broken window.
“The fire was so hot at that point that we had to kind of take turns ‘cause you couldn't breathe,” said Stephens.
They were able to pull the man to safety with seconds to spare before the entire cab caught fire.
“I believe had they not acted as quickly as they did the driver would have burned in the vehicle,” said Aaron Wilbanks, who was the sergeant at the scene.
Still, with a pulse and breathing, the driver was rushed to the hospital where he remains as of this writing.
Officers credit instincts, training and teamwork for the swift response.
“Everyone deserves to have that person to come and help them and it’s a blessing for me that I get to be able to do that,” said Minwell.
