Two Texas police officers from the Mesquite Police Department rushed into a burning car and, with the help of a bystander, saved the driver’s life by pulling him to safety. The vehicle was engulfed in flames as the officers arrived on the scene. Quick and decisive action by the officers saved the driver’s life.
Mesquite police officers Ryan Nielsen and Autumn Soto were dispatched to a major accident on Interstate Highway 30 east of Dallas at 4:11 a.m. on Monday, according to a WFAA report. The dashcam video below shows the crashed vehicle engulfed in flames. As the officers approached the vehicle, they discovered the driver was unconscious and was still inside the burning vehicle.
With Officer Soto’s assistance, Officer Nielsen was able to pry open the door of the vehicle. A bystander assisted the two officers in dragging the driver to safety. Nielsen said he had never seen anything like this before.
“I’m just thankful for him that we were that close because he had seconds… seconds left,” Soto said.
The two officers worked hard to help the badly injured driver, identified by police as 25-year-old Hector Valles, a Mesquite resident. Valles’ clothes were burned from the fire. According to family members, the man sustained bone fractures in his back, legs and ribs.
“Our main goal became keeping him conscious, keeping him awake, keeping him focused, keeping him fighting,” Nielsen said.
Valles is in stable condition after two surgeries. “Thanks to them [the officers], he’s still breathing and in the hospital,” Valles’ brother, Oswaldo Valles said.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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