A brave Georgia sheriff's deputy rescued a driver from a fiery car crash last week. He reacted quickly when he saw what looked like a burning vehicle in the distance.
According to local station Fox 5 Atlanta, Sergeant Steve Mills arrived at the scene and discovered an SUV on fire.
The Coweta County Sheriff's Office confirmed the incident occurred after 3 a.m. Thursday in Sharpsburg — a tiny western Georgia town with just over 300 residents.
Amazing bodycam footage shows Mills smashing the car's windows, only to discover a man trapped in the driver's seat of the car.
At least two officers were involved in the rescue, one of whom cut the man's seatbelt and removed the man from the rear window of the vehicle.
Two deputies from a sheriff's office in western Georgia rescued a man from his burning vehicle after 3 a.m. last Thursday
The two officers on scene managed to pull the driver out of the rear window of the car
“He’s a very hard worker and I’m super proud of him,” Sheriff Lenn Wood said of his deputy, Steve Mills
Burning vehicles were “burning hot and fast,” said the sheriff, who praised his men for the rescue
The totaled car had left the road and crashed into a tree
The victim's vehicle left the road and crashed into a tree before catching fire.
Mills and his partner on scene managed to free the driver from the car as the fire continued to grow.
County Sheriff Lenn Wood told the local outlet his deputy was humble about the incident.
Mills did not report the rescue directly to his department. His actions were only discovered when firefighters told top brass what had happened.
“He’s a very hard worker and I’m super proud of him,” Wood said.
He added that the department recently purchased tools for breaking car windows and said, “This incident highlights the urgent need for the proper tools and training.”
“Thanks to our recent investments, Sergeant Mills was able to save a life.”
According to the Newnan Times-Herald, Coweta County Fire Chief Robby Flanagan congratulated deputies for their critical, quick thinking that resulted in life-saving actions.
“There is great public safety teamwork and they certainly saved his life,” he said. “We are grateful for our law enforcement.”