Police officers in Garland pulled a man from a burning car after a fiery crash on Forest Lane in front of the Garland Police Department on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The incident happened at about 3 a.m.
A body camera video that captured the rescue was played by the department. Officers can be heard saying, “Come on man. Come on man. We’ll get you out,” as they attempt to pull the man out of his car.
According to the department, the car was speeding and flipped as it hit a curb. The passenger was ejected, and the car caught fire, leaving the driver trapped inside.
Officer Matthew Fuhs and his partner were the first officers to respond to the scene. Together, they pulled the driver, who was unconscious at the time, out of the vehicle just in time before the fire spread all over.
Both the driver and the passenger that was flung out of the car were taken to the hospital, where they were admitted in serious condition.
“There’s only a certain amount of control that can take place, and this was uncontrolled,” Officer Fuhs said, recalling the incident. “And so, we approached the guy, and my first thought was, ‘I’ve got to try to get him awake.’ He was unconscious,” he said.
Fuhs explained that when he and his partner saw that the driver would not gain consciousness, they both grabbed him. Within seconds, the partners were able to get their hands on both of the driver’s arms before the fire approached his feet and started to burn him.
This year makes Fuhs’ fifth year on the force. However, his partner is a rookie and Oct. 13 was his first day in the field. According to Fuhs, his partner was calm and collected during the extraction.
Police said that the driver and the passenger are expected to survive despite their condition at the moment.
