“I just kept pulling and pulling until we were out of the car,” said Trooper Durham.
PLANO, Texas — A quick-thinking Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Trooper saved a man’s life who was trapped inside a burning vehicle along a highway in Plano.
On Jan. 9, just before 2:30 a.m., DPS Trooper Cody Durham spotted smoke coming from a vehicle after the driver crashed on the Dallas North Tollway near Spring Creek Parkway, according to DPS.
By the time Trooper Durham was able to safely pull over, the vehicle caught fire trapping the driver inside.
In a bodycam video released by DPS, you can see Trooper Durham immediately opening the back passenger door, entering the smoke-filled vehicle and beginning to pull the driver out until he was able to remove him from the vehicle and pull him safely away from the fire.
“I believed once I started pulling, that was going to be the only way to get him out,” said Trooper Durham. “I just kept pulling and pulling until we were out of the car.”
A short time later, the Plano Fire Department arrived and quickly put out the fire. The driver was taken to Medical City Plano for treatment.
“Trooper Durham courageously intervened to save a life, demonstrating the true essence of our commitment to the safety of Texans,” said DPS North Texas Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod.
Trooper Durham was taken to Plano Presbyterian Hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation and released.
“I just want to say that we’re all humans we’re out there every day putting our lives on the line to try to save someone that’s in danger or whatever situation they’re in…for someone we may never see again,” Trooper Durham said.