UPPER MARLBORO, Md. -- As flames singed their boots and pants, two members of the Maryland State Police force heroically rescued a woman Wednesday morning from a burning vehicle.
Corporal John Griffin and Cadet Andrew Neall were the first officials to arrive at the scene of a car crash at about 6:30 a.m. along Route 301 near Leeland Drive and saw the front of a vehicle engulfed in flames, with fire leaping 6 feet above the vehicle and the two front tires ablaze.
The driver's side door was locked so Griffin shattered the window and, through heavy smoke, spotted the driver slumped over the center console. He unbuckled the driver and began to remove her from the burning vehicle while feeling the heat from the fire at his feet and legs.
Griffin and Neall began to carry the victim up the hill to safety. They got just 15 feet away from the crash when the entire interior of the Hyundai erupted in flames.
The driver, Melody Grimm, 57, of Crofton, was treated at the scene.
The cause of the crash and the fire remains under investigation, but officials said Griffin and Neall should be credited with saving a life.
“I commend Corporal Griffin and Cadet Neall for their heroic actions today that uphold the highest standards and traditions of the Maryland State Police,” Colonel Terrence Sheridan said. “Their decisive and unselfish actions clearly resulted in a life being saved, for which we are all grateful.”
