A Texan man is recovering after being rescued from his burning pickup truck.
Law enforcement officials and passers-by came to Michael Pierce’s rescue after realizing he was trapped. Pierce could not move since his leg was pinned.
Pierce was en route to visit his son in hospital on Dec. 4, when he crashed his pickup truck into the back of an 18-wheeler on the Interstate 20 Highway, near the city of Terrell. The damage caused his truck to burst into flames and the cabin to fill with smoke.
Body camera footage from Kaufman County Sheriff Office shows authorities and civilians working together to help pull Pierce from the burning wreck.
Deputy Conner Martin entered the vehicle to try to free the driver’s leg stuck under the dashboard, while civilians doused flames burning under the hood.
“I’m bleeding. Help me,” Pierce said on the video adding that his trapped foot is on fire.
Deputy Martin exited the truck at least four times to take a deep breath, before returning to try and free Pierce. With the help of everyone involved, Pierce was eventually freed when civilians doused the fire on his leg. Pierce was later transported to hospital with serious leg injuries.
On its Facebook page the Sheriff’s Office praised the civilians who volunteered as heroes who “without regard of their own safety were attempting to free the driver when Deputy Martin arrived. Working together, they eventually freed the driver.”
“Without the cooperation of everyone involved, this could be a very different story.”
The Sheriff’s Office said it is “fortunate” to have Deputy Martin serving the community. “He has proven he has the heart of a servant and the bravery of a lion,” it added on Facebook.
