PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — When a man got trapped inside his burning car, two Charlotte County deputies didn't hesitate to jump into action. And the whole thing was caught on camera.
It happened early Saturday morning in the Riverwood community of Port Charlotte.
The sheriff's office says deputies were alerted by members of the community who heard a loud crash before seeing 5-foot high flames and hearing a man screaming for help.
Video shows Deputies Garrett Parrish and Bryant Ovalles Vasquez driving up to the burning car and running over to the driver along with a good Samaritan. They say the man's seatbelt was wrapped around his neck and upper body.
In a release from the sheriff's office, the deputies describe the heat from the flames as "unbearable," making it difficult for them to get close to the car.
Parrish and Vasquez are seen momentarily running away from the car and returning with a fire extinguisher. They used it to put out the flames just enough for them to gain access to the man and cut him out of the seatbelt with a pocketknife.
The deputies pulled the man to safety with the help of the good Samaritan who jumped in to help.
“You truly never know what the night will hold,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a new release. “The job of a deputy is to act bravely in the face of danger, regardless of what lies ahead. These young men did just that. I couldn’t be prouder."
The man was transported to a nearby trauma unit where he remains in critical condition but is expected to survive.
