Three Charles County officers are being hailed as heroes after they rescued a man from a burning SUV.
M/Cpl. Don Kabala was in the parking lot of a car dealership on Crain Highway on Jan. 29 when he heard a crash nearby. As he drove along Crain Highway, he came upon an SUV that had crashed into a pole and then burst into flames.
The driver, a 32-year-old man from Clinton, Maryland, was pinned under the dashboard on the passenger side of the SUV. The Charles County Sheriff's Office believes the force of the crash sent him flying across the front seat.
"I could see somebody in the passenger seat. I couldn't see if there was anybody in the driver's seat so I told the guy in the passenger seat 'Hey, we'll get you in a minute. Let's get this fire out,'" Kabala said.
Kabala ran toward the SUV with a fire extinguisher, but the flames were too powerful. The fire continued to roar even after the fire extinguisher had been depleted, the Charles County Sheriff's Office said.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
As Kabala tried to search the SUV for other occupants, Pfc. Eric Scuderi and Pfc. Christopher Morris arrived.
"We went through about five fire extinguishers and the flames never went out," Scuderi said.
The three men then worked together to free the driver; Kabala kept the flames away from the driver with a second fire extinguisher while Scuderi and Morris worked to free the trapped man.
Eventually, Scuderi and Morris were able to pull the man to safety. The victim was taken to a hospital with multiple injuries, but they were later deemed non-life-threatening.
"I’m proud of these officers for taking quick actions to rescue the driver,” said Sheriff Troy D. Berry. "They did what officers often do in dangerous situations and set aside any fear they may have had and helped save this man."
