By Ann Zaniewski
Detroit Free Press
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. — An Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy pulled a driver from a burning car crash Sunday, a dramatic rescue that was caught on video and likely saved the man’s life.
The driver was speeding early Sunday morning in Orion Township when he lost control of the car. It went off the road into a wooded area and erupted into flames, according to the sheriff’s office. A deputy broke the sunroof and pulled the man to safety.
“This is a reminder of the types of incidents our deputies can encounter each and every day,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a news release. “While our deputy had been in pursuit of this speeding suspect, it was their first instinct to risk their own lives to save this individual from a burning vehicle. If not for the quick action of our deputies, this individual may have not survived this incident.”
According to the sheriff’s office, a deputy was patrolling in the area of Baldwin and Brown roads at 2:30 a.m. when he saw a driver speed by. The driver continued on Baldwin and turned onto westbound Maybee Road.
The deputy activated his lights and sirens and tried to catch the vehicle before it overturned in some trees just off the roadway.
Additional deputies arrived and helped move the 18-year-old driver away from the burning car. They detected the odor of marijuana and alcohol coming from him, authorities said.
The suspect, who is from Orion Township, was taken to McLaren-Oakland Hospital to be treated for his injuries, which included lacerations and a broken femur. Deputies obtained a search warrant for a sample of his blood.
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