Two New York police officers were injured last Thursday — the Fourth of July — as they responded to a car accident in Sheepshead Bay.
The two officers were working in the vicinity of McDonald Avenue and Avenue T when they came across a 2007 LincolnMKX that had struck a pillar that supported an elevated train track. The car had burst into flames and only one of the vehicle’s three occupants had escaped to safety.
The officers responded to the car crash quickly. They broke the windows of the vehicle and tried to extricate the 27-year-old man inside, but the car was so damaged that the doors would not operate. Eventually, witnesses on the scene were able to help the officers force open the passenger’s side door and assist the officers as they dragged the man out of the car.
The officers then moved on to rescuing a 55-year-old female passenger. Accounts of the rescue suggest this extrication effort took even longer than the first.
During the process, one officer suffered cuts to her hands and had to be treated for smoke inhalation. The other officer strained his right shoulder and was also treated for smoke inhalation.
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In this case, the occupants of the vehicle were very lucky that the officers were able to respond so quickly and did not give up, even when their own safety was at risk. As in all one-car accidents, the operator and owner of the vehicle are responsible for all injuries suffered by any passengers due to the negligence of the driver.
Source: The New York Post, “Cops injured in car accident rescue response,” Matt McNulty, July 4, 2013