By Mitch Hotts
The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich.
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — Several passersby and five Sterling Heights police officers are being hailed as heroes after they were able to rescue a woman from a burning vehicle following a crash.
The heroics took place about 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8 after a collision between two cars near 18 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue.
When officers arrived, they found one of the vehicles fully engulfed in flames. An elderly female driver was trapped inside with a severe compound leg fracture and a significant bleeding, police said in a news release.
The officers and bystanders worked together as a team to pull the woman from her burning vehicle and carried her to safety.
“I can’t walk,” the woman said she was carried by the group. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Recognizing the severity of her injury and increasing blood loss, officers applied a tourniquet to stabilize her condition until the arrival of the Sterling Heights Fire Department, who continued medical care and transported her to a nearby hospital.
Sterling Heights police said the actions of the officers were swift, decisive, and undeniably courageous.
“Last night’s response exemplifies the very best of our police officers,” Sterling Heights Police Chief Andy Satterfield said.
“These officers ran toward a burning vehicle without hesitation because someone’s life depended on it. Their bravery, skill, and teamwork, along with the critical help from bystanders and our fire department partners, made the difference between life and death. We are incredibly proud of them.”
The department said officers Devon Leonard, John-Mark Branch, Kevin Archer, Andre Basin, and Sgt. Justin King were to be commended for their heroic actions.
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