Watch: 2 off-duty officers pull man from burning truck on interstate minutes before it explodes
Off-duty officers pull man from burning truck on interstate minutes before it explodes
A Missouri sheriff’s office released bodycam footage showing a deputy and a police detective rescuing a disoriented man from a burning pickup truck on I-35. (Credit: Clay County Sheriff's Office)
Two law enforcement officers in Missouri are being hailed heroes after rescuing a man from a burning truck on an interstate highway minutes before it exploded.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office released bodycam footage that was recorded Sept. 15 showing a deputy and a police detective rescuing the disoriented man from a burning pickup truck on I-35.
What we know:
The sheriff’s office says Deputy Chase Blatt was driving on I-35 in Claycomo when he saw a Kansas City police officer pulled over near a truck that had crashed and was on fire.
The officer, Detective Jason Findley, had just gotten off work when he spotted the fire.
Findley helped pull the driver from the truck and Blatt, a school resource officer at an area middle school, helped him pull the disoriented man from the burning vehicle.
The truck later exploded, deputies said.
The driver was treated for burns to his legs at an area hospital, the post states.
‘The right person at the right time’
Deputies said minutes after the driver was pulled to safety, the pickup truck he was driving exploded. (Photo: Clay County Sheriff's Office)
What they're saying:
"Deputy Blatt was the right person in the right place at the right time to save a life," Clay County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sarah Boyd said. "He and KCPD Detective Findley both happened upon the incident as they were leaving work for the day, and neither hesitated to stop and put themselves in harm’s way to get the driver to safety. Their bravery and courage has been an inspiration to our community."
Clay County government honored Blatt back in February for his work at the school. A Facebook post states he encountered a student at the top of a three-story stairwell who expressed thoughts of self-harm. Blatt pulled the student into a nearby classroom and called for a counselor and administrator.
"The deputy worked with the student to talk through what led to their feelings and bring reassurance," the post states. "The student later told school staff that if the deputy hadn't come when he did, they would have jumped."
The Source: Information in this story came from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Clay County Government Facebook page.