Knoxville News-Sentinel
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville Police Department officers Andrew Keith and Steve Taylor both were honored with KPD’s Medal of Merit today for their lifesaving actions to rescue a state trooper at the scene of a fiery crash in March.
Both officers happened to be nearby and responded within seconds when Tennessee Highway Patrol Sgt. Lowell Russell was struck by a tractor-trailer while parked in his cruiser on the shoulder of Interstate 40 in the early hours of March 13.
The two KPD patrolmen, along with two paramedics who also miraculously were in the area, freed the trapped Russell from inside the burning wreckage of his vehicle.
Russell, who continues to recover from his injuries, was on-hand to thank the two officers himself during a low-key ceremony at KPD headquarters Monday.
“I wouldn’t be here today talking to you if it wasn’t for them,” Russell said.
The Medal of Merit is the department’s second-highest honor.
Copyright 2012 Knoxville News-Sentinel Co.