Off-Duty Cop Saves Driver From Burning Vehicle

I see so many negative threads about cops here, I figured it was time to show the ATS community that not all cops are bad.

This off-duty cop saw this car crash, then burst into flames. He jumped from his car and risked his life to get the man out.
Did he have to do this? I think his oath to "protect and serve" kicked in, even though he was off-duty.

Would you have done it?

Watch the video of the rescue, and read the full story here:

gma.yahoo.com...

A ball of fire on one of California's busiest freeways turned a quiet Christmas into an unforgettable one.
Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Squad officer Don Thompson was on his way to work Wednesday when at around 2 p.m. he saw a car crash on Los Angeles' 405 freeway.
"I saw this car just veer into the retaining wall," Thompson said. "It went across all lanes, and it was on fire at that time."
Thompson ran to the car, now engulfed in flames, and found the driver of the car trapped inside and unconscious.

reply to post by sled735


Once upon a time I was an off duty call center director that did something similar. It doesn't make call center directors good, or anything like that. Saw a dodge van barrel roll down the interstate. Stopped the truck, ran across the highway to find the throttle on the van stuck open, the back tires spinning and kickg up gravel/dirt, and a fire starting in the engine compartment. I kicked in the windshield and ripped it out (cutting up my hands pretty badly). I half expected to find kids strewn about the inside. It was just a single older man by himself (thankdfully). I pulled him through the hole where the windsheild was and carried him over my shoulder about 50 yards, so we weren't being hit by flying gravel. About that time, someone else ran up and put the fire out (i had burned all the hair off my legs while pulling that dude out) and killed the engine.

1,000,000 good deeds can happen by police. It only takes 1 misdeed to undo all of it.

One time I was driving just outside of Sweetwater, TX and a small truck got tangled with an 18 wheeler. They were behind me, but lost control and came screaming up on my rear view. I tried to floor it to get a little distance when all of a sudden the passenger in the truck comes flying by me, still in his sitting position and no longer in his truck. I looked over and we made eye contact with each other right before he dropped, hit the pavement, and started rolling. The 18 wheeler managed to swerve and come to a stop in the rather large piece of median that was there, missing the dude that was ejected. He was lucky to live, but looked really, really bad from eating pavement at 70mph.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


That's awesome! Thank you for your bravery!

That's my BigFatFurryTexan!!! You ROCK!!!

I like that thing you said about only one bad deed will undo it all. Sadly, that is true.

reply to post by sled735


in the moment, its not bravery. Its empathy and humanity. You just let reactive flow take over.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


I got an image of that in my mind as I was reading it.

What a terrible experience!

This is not the least bit funny, but I kind of giggled as I imagined the man's expression (oh S**T) as you looked at each other as he went by you still in the seated position.

It's something like you'd see in a cartoon.

Me and my warped sense of humor.

S&F to the cop!

Guess they all are not kicking down doors and shooting armed felons or arresting crack or meth head drink drivers rampaging through your neighbourhood or stopping anarchy from ruling the streets or disarming some nuts bomb or whatever else LE Officers do during their duty hours.

Some, I guess most, will actually put their lives on the line for you when they are off duty, unpaid and more than likely not covered by insurance for running across a busy road to a burning vehicle and saving a life.

Well done officer, wish more of the public were like you. As for being a long lonely walker, you are a better man than I sir.

See, the US still has some good people working in public life!

reply to post by sled735


Wether a cop or not sounds to me a good person who saw a good moment to do something good to a person in need...

Do I say more? This is a example of a good person doing something right when needed.

Good for him!

AK907ICECOLD
reply to post by sled735

 

Wether a cop or not sounds to me a good person who saw a good moment to do something good to a person in need...

Do I say more? This is a example of a good person doing something right when needed.

Good for him!

Yeah, I just wanted to bring to light that not all cops are bad to those who keep slamming them on here.

In other news the Hells Angels handed out teddy bears this Christmas. We now endorse their organization as well. Not all Hells Angels are bad people.

isn't that more of a human instinct reaction rather than an 'off duty cop'? i'd have done the same, and i suspect most would too.

reply to post by sled735


It was freakishly surreal. Never saw the dude again....but he survived and was expected to make it out of the hospital after a spell.

I know several "good cops". They are good men who happen to be cops. I think on ATS XCathdra would be a good example.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


(FWIW, as the tears if laughter stream down my cheeks, I think you're way sexier than Miley.)

Bravo to you BFFT! I have never tried to kick in a windshield, so that would not be the first thing that would occur to me. However I'm glad you knew how to get the job done.

The policeman does deserve congratulations for saving the man. His knowledge and training served him well. He does deserve to be recognized for that act of bravery. It's nice to read a positive story, OP. Thanks.

reply to post by aboutface


Who said that Miley was sexier than BFFT??? I will smack them.

reply to post by sled735


I totally agree with you!

I know many law enforcement, friends, and in my family.

Some are A holes which need to be taught a lesson (an ass kick'n), and some are men that I want to be like.

Give or take, push or pull, up or down, yin or yang.....etc..

it's a divine dichotomy my friend.

We would never see the beautiful on earth if we did not see the ugly.

PEACE

reply to post by nixie_nox


Well...Destiny and Aboveboard did say that I smell bad.

But if I am winning a beauty contest against Miley Cyrus, I don't suppose I have much in the way of bragging rights.