Georgia Cop Saves Man From Burning Vehicle in Dramatic Body Cam Footage

ATHENS, GA — A dramatic new video shot by an Athens, Ga., police officer's body camera captures the terrifying moments as he works to save a trapped passenger from a burning vehicle.

In the video, Senior Police Officer Dan Whitney responds to a 3 a.m. accident report to find flames billowing from an SUV that has crashed into a large tree.

He finds a man yelling for help and stuck in a small, rear driver-side window of the vehicle.

Whitney gets his fire extinguisher and tries to put the fire out, but finds it too powerful. As he shouts for someone to bring another fire extinguisher or a garden hose, he begins trying to get the passenger out of the SUV.

Police say the impact of the crash had bent the SUV's frame and all the doors were jammed shut. Whitney tries to talk the man into pulling himself out of the window and back inside the vehicle.

When he's unable to do so, Whitney bends the door frame back enough to pull the man through the small window.

The very moment he does so, the video shows an explosion from under the SUV's hood knock off Whitney's hat and body camera.

According to the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, the driver of the SUV, who could not be seen until the flames were extinguished, died in the crash.

"Without Whitney's rescue, the passenger likely would have suffered the same tragic death as the driver, as the back seat was completely melted and gutted within minutes," the department said in a YouTube post.
According to the post, other officers on the scene described the heat from the fire as unbearable from 50 feet away.

Photos and video courtesy Athens-Clarke County Police Department