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Caught on Video: Officer Pulls Driver from Burning CarKCCI.com
URBANDALE, Iowa - Urbandale police said an officer pulled an unconscious driver from a burning car Sunday night.
The crash was reported at 10:35 p.m. at the Urbandale Baptist Church at 6501 Aurora Ave. Officer Zac McDowell, who was the first to arrive on the scene, made a couple of attempts to get into the burning car before being able to pull the unconscious driver out of the car. Another unidentified man helps, a police dashboard camera shows. Police said the driver was identified as Ian Waseskuk, 18, of Urbandale. He was taken Mercy Medical Center for evaluation. Police said Waseskuk was doing doughnuts in the parking lot and lost control of the car. It hit an air conditioning unit on the side of the church, causing $10,000 in damage. Waseskuk's car was a total loss. "There was flames emanating from the front of the vehicle, maybe 10 to 15 feet in the air," McDowell said. "When I pulled up behind the vehicle, and I walked up to it, there was smoke so thick inside you couldn't see anything. I had no idea someone was inside of the car. "I took a breath, I went inside, and I'm no more than a half a foot to a foot away from this guy's head, and I still couldn't see him. I look down, and I dropped my head to get away from the smoke, and I see part of a hand on the driver's seat. So I just grabbed what I could, propped my foot up on the door jamb, and just ripped as hard as I could out and pulled him out with me." "I'm just really proud of myself that I was able to help out," said police intern Nick Schroeder. "About the only thing that was going through my mind was trying to assist officer McDowell in getting the guy out as quickly as possible." Waseskuk will be charged with reckless driving, police said. He was listed in serious but stable condition on Monday afternoon. McDowell was named Urbandale's police officer of the year in 2011. |
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