WATCH: Police lieutenant pulls unconscious driver from burning truck
SALISBURY, N.C. (WGN) — Police in North Carolina have released dramatic bodycam footage showing an officer’s rescue of an unresponsive driver from a burning truck after a fiery crash.
According to the Salisbury Police Department, Lt. Corey Brooks had been responding to a separate incident shortly before 9 p.m. on Aug. 8 when he saw a tractor-trailer hit the retaining wall on Interstate 85 and catch fire.
The SPD said Brooks ran “without hesitation” to the truck’s cab and found the driver unconscious. After calling for help, Brooks pulled the driver from his seat and over the passenger side, then through the door. Another unidentified driver helped the lieutenant carry the driver across two lanes of traffic as the flames quickly engulfed the truck’s cabin.
The driver regained consciousness as fire and EMS arrived. He was able to walk on his own to the ambulance and was taken to a local hospital, police said.
Brooks, from Sumter, South Carolina, has been with the SPD since 2001, starting as a patrol officer before “rising through the ranks.” He currently serves as lieutenant of the criminal investigations/violent crimes unit and has received a number of accolades during his time with the SPD, the department said.
Credit: Salisbury Police Department via Storyful