By Police1 Staff
ST. PAUL — A St. Paul man was hysterical the moment he met the two officers who rescued him from his blazing vehicle, thanking them from his hospital bed for saving his life.
Ronnie Christmas, 23, wept tears of joy as Maplewood Officers Clint Able and Jason Marino entered his hospital room, according to KARE11.
“Thank you guys so much. Oh God! Another second and I would’ve been dead,” Christmas told the officers. "(Thank you for) becoming police officers. Even just not being police officers. Just being people with enough integrity to get in a fire. I am not sure if I would’ve been able.”
On April 5, Able and Marino came upon Chistmas’ burning vehicle — Christmas trapped inside and screaming for help. The officers rushed towards the flames, knowing there was no time to wait for fire crews.
Christmas suffered broken ribs, a fractured hip and pelvis, severe burns on his back, legs, hands and missing teeth, according to the report.
“Another 30 seconds and Ronnie’s burns would have been so deep on his legs he would have likely required amputations to survive. Another minute, we wouldn’t be here talking about how Ronnie should make a full recovery after therapy,” hospital burn unit director William Mohr said.