Port Charlotte, Fla. – Two Charlotte County deputies and a Good Samaritan are being called heroes after using a fire extinguisher and a pocketknife to save a man from a burning vehicle. Due to the “unbearable” heat from the fire, Deputies Garrett Parrish and Bryant Ovalles Vasquez used the fire extinguisher to beat back the flames enough to reach the driver, whose seatbelt was wrapped around his neck. They used the pocketknife to cut the seatbelt and pulled the man to safety with the help of the Good Samaritan. The deputies’ dash cam captured the whole incident on video. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition but is expected to survive.
“You truly never know what the night will hold,” said Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell in a new release. “The job of a deputy is to act bravely in the face of danger, regardless of what lies ahead. These young men did just that. I couldn’t be prouder.”