Dramatic moment hero North Carolina cop pulls unconscious man from burning truck just seconds before it EXPLODED
Dramatic moment when North Carolina hero pulls an unconscious man from a burning truck just seconds before it exploded
- Lieutenant Corey Brooks of the Salisbury Police Department rescued the unconscious driver
- Michael Williams crashed his truck and became unresponsive
- An unknown bystander helped the officer bring the driver to safety
This is the incredible moment when a North Carolina police officer rescued an unconscious driver just before his tractor-trailer exploded.
On August 8, Lieutenant Corey Brooks was responding to a separate incident when he saw the truck crash into the retaining wall on I-85.
He immediately sprang into action and rushed to the vehicle where he found the driver, Michael Williams, unconscious.
The rescue operation became a race against time, as a line of fire had been ignited before the crash.
Bodycam footage shows Lieutenant Brooks telling the driver, “Hey sir, you need to get out of the truck” – before unbuckling his seatbelt and lifting him out.
“This truck is about to leave and I thought I was going to die here with it, or get it out of here,” Lieutenant Brooks later recalled. WSOC.
With more than 24 years of service, hero cop Lt. Corey Brooks the unconscious driver without hesitation
Once he realized the driver had become unresponsive, Lieutenant Brooks began to untie the driver and pull him out of the truck cab.
āIt took all my strength to get him out of there because I knew it was just him and me. We were going to do it together,” he added.
Once he emerged from the truck cab, Lieutenant Brooks was heard calling for help pulling the driver.
An unidentified woman appeared and assisted the officer in getting the driver to safety on the other side of the road.
‘I wish I knew who she was, but she was like an angel; She appeared out of nowhere and helped me get him across,” the officer said.
Just seconds after they crossed the two lanes, the cab of the truck caught fire.
The driver eventually regained consciousness when fire and rescue teams arrived at the scene.
At a meeting of Salisbury City Council on Tuesday, Lieutenant Brooks was officially recognized for his heroic actions.
“Out of 25 years, this is probably one of the scariest nights of my career,” the officer said at the rally.
The hero cop received a gallantry ticket for saving the life of the truck driver.
The officer initially struggled, but successfully pulled the truck driver out of the crash just seconds before the truck cab caught fire
A female bystander sprang into action to help the officer pull the driver across two lanes to safety on the opposite side of the road
The tractor-trailer caught fire seconds after Lieutenant Brooks rescued the unconscious driver
Presenting the award, Salisbury Police Chief Patrick Smith said, “I am proud to be working with Lieutenant Brooks and his act of courage does not describe the character he represents.”
With over 24 years of law enforcement experience, Lieutenant Brooks has received a number of awards for his services.
Lieutenant Brooks said Williams contacted him and thanked him for saving his life, saying, “He’s a friend I’ll have for the rest of my life.”