Jess Hardiman
Bodycam footage captures the incredible moment a sheriff managed to rescue a woman trapped inside a burning car.
The dramatic footage, which was released by Candler County Sheriff's Office in south Georgia, shows Sergeant Ashleigh Taylor making the urgent rescue last Saturday (1 July).
The motorist’s car – a red Subaru sedan - had veered off Highway 46 in Metter, and crashed into an embankment.
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In Taylor's body camera clip, we see him responding quickly to the call, saying over his radio: “There’s a car. It’s going to be in the woods.”
He then runs over to the wooded area beside the road and rushes through bushes and shrubs, before finding the vehicle engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing from underneath.
As he approaches the vehicle, he calls out to the driver: "Get out! Get out! Get out of the car! Unlock it. It's on fire! Get out!
"Ma'am, get out of the car, take your seat belt off! Take your seat belt off! Take your seat belt off!"
When Taylor reaches the car, he uses his baton to break into the driver’s window – with screams coming from inside heard on the footage – and promptly helps the woman out.
Candler County Sheriff's Office has since praised Taylor for his fast-acting heroism, saying he did ‘outstanding’ work.
"Due to Sergeant Taylor’s swift actions, the driver was removed from a dangerous situation before it escalated,” it said.
“We would also like to thank the number of motorists that stopped to assist. Please join us in commending Sergeant Taylor for the outstanding job on this incident!"
Thankfully, the driver is expected to make a full recovery.
While the sheriff’s office has not released her name, it said she was having a medical emergency and seemed groggy when Taylor tried to help her.
“Sgt. Taylor responded the way we all hope we would respond in a critical situation just like that,” Candler County Sheriff John Miles said.
“People were able to see the kind of job Sgt. Taylor did and able to see the kind of work first responders do all the time,” Sheriff Miles said.
According to WTOC, because of Taylor’s quick response, the fire and the rescue both happened within less than five minutes of each other.