Three Escambia Deputies Credited For Saving Man From Burning Vehicle

November 16, 2017

Three Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies are being credited for saving a man from a burning pickup truck following an early morning accident on I-10 near Pine Forest Road.

According to a statement from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office:

“This morning Sgt. Pollock witnessed a pickup truck crash into an impact attenuator deployed on the back of an L30 truck. The pick-up truck burst into flames with the driver trapped inside. Sgt. Pollock grabbed his fire extinguisher and began battling the flames. The fire was too intense and his extinguisher ran out. Sgt. Pollock called for backup. Deputy Shelly along with Deputy Godfrey responded and were able to use their fire extinguishers to put the fire out.

“Once the fire was extinguished Sgt. Pollock and Deputy McMullen tried to get inside the vehicle. Sgt. Pollock had to use his empty fire extinguisher to bust out the back window of the truck, so the deputies could provide first aid to the driver. Fortunately, the driver didn’t suffer any burns and was airlifted to a local hospital.”

The Florida Highway Patrol report stated that 26-year old Harris McDonnel  of Crestview was driving eastbound on I-10 at a high rate of speed in a lane that was closed for construction when his 2016 GMC Sierra collided with a construction zone crash attenuator truck.

McDonnel was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition.

File photo.

Comments

9 Responses to “Three Escambia Deputies Credited For Saving Man From Burning Vehicle”

  1. SayWhat?? on November 19th, 2017 9:59 pm

    Did the driver or deputies receive any burns? How did they slide him out of that tiny space? Have the deputies provided their account?

  2. Nonna of 7 on November 18th, 2017 6:04 am

    Another selfless act of heroism by law enforcement. Stay safe and God bless you all.

  3. EMD on November 17th, 2017 12:29 pm

    So thankful for LEOs. Good job !

  4. Rebecca on November 17th, 2017 3:25 am

    Praise God and amazing work guys!

  5. Me... on November 16th, 2017 10:03 pm

    Wow! Thank you!

  6. Janice Carnley on November 16th, 2017 8:30 pm

    Good Job!

  7. Carl on November 16th, 2017 4:05 pm

    It takes special people to be Law Enforcement Officers. All three risked their own safety to help a stranger.

  8. Jeff on November 16th, 2017 3:03 pm

    All great people and a credit to their job. Good job guys.

  9. Mike on November 16th, 2017 2:57 pm

    Good job, Officers. These officers are good examples of what LEOs are like in our community.