‘Get out of the car’: Video shows officer pulling driver out of burning vehicle in Texas
SOUTHLAKE, Texas —
A Texas police officer was shown on body and dashcam videos springing into action to help a driver out of a burning car.
Southlake Police Department Corporal Joshua Swisher was alerted to heavy smoke coming from a car and got the driver to pull over. With flames spreading fast, Swisher moved to get the driver out as quickly as possible.
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“Get out of the car! Get out, get out, get out, get out!” Swisher can be heard saying on bodycam video.
Swisher spoke to ABC News about the rescue.
“I was just thinking, ‘I gotta get to that vehicle, get it stopped and pulled over, and see if I can’t get that driver out of the vehicle before it goes up in flames,'” Swisher told the news outlet.
After the driver didn’t respond, Swisher tried to open the door, and the handle broke off. He was able to break the window with his fist and grab the driver’s hand to pull him to safety.
“When the window shattered, that was a little bit of relief for me. ‘Cause I knew I had an exit point at that time,” he told ABC News.
The police department posted about the June incident on July 15, recognizing Swisher for his quick actions. The driver who was pulled out of his car was not seriously injured.
“For his courage, quick thinking, and decisive actions, Corporal Swisher was recently awarded the Southlake Police Department’s Meritorious Conduct Award,” the police department wrote in a Facebook post.
