PALM COAST, Fla. – Following a wreck between a car and a scooter, a Flagler County deputy and nearby citizen jumped into action to pull one of the drivers from the fiery crash, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the crash on Palm Coast Parkway at the Interstate 95 overpass Sunday at 11:12 p.m. According to the crash report, a car crashed into a scooter and both were on fire when deputies arrived. The driver of the scooter had been ejected and was in the road with a severe head injury, according to the report.
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Flagler County Deputy Dalrymple arrived first on scene. The deputy, along with a witness, Christina Atwell, immediately ran to the scooter rider to pull him away before the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office released body camera video of the rescue showing Dalrymple and Atwell dragging the victim away from the scooter that can be seen on fire in the background.
“Deputy Dalrymple and Ms. Atwell put their own safety at risk in order to move the injured man away from the crash and a safe distance from the flames,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a news release. “In the body camera footage, you can hear an explosion from the vehicle fire just as they are pulling the man away from the crash site. Their quick and selfless actions may have helped save this injured man’s life.”
The driver of the scooter was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center. The driver of the vehicle did not sustain any injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
Atwell said she was supposed to be off work that night but got called to cover a shift. She was on her way to work in St. Augustine when she heard the crash happen behind her.
“I just made a U-turn and I went up and I approached and I called 911,” Atwell said.
As a worker in the health care industry, Atwell knew she needed to act fast to save the man who had been on the scooter.
“He was conscious, you know, drifting in and out, his eyes kind of were rolling and I kept him talking until the cops got there,” she said. “I kind of just stood there and comforted him and let him know, you know, he’s OK, we got 911 on the way, police are here, you know. I held his hand and he held my hand.”
Atwell said she didn’t fear for her own safety even as the car exploded because the training she received from the Air Force kicked in.
“I was just concerned to make sure, you know, everybody survived at that point. I just went and did what needed to be done because it needed to be done, you know, somebody had to do it,” she said.
Since the fiery rescue, she’s been in contact with the 18-year-old scooter driver.
“I wish him the best,” Atwell said. “I’m glad I was able to help him and I keep him in my thoughts and prayers every day now.”
Watch the video of the rescue below: