An off-duty Jefferson County sheriff's deputy pulled an unconscious driver from a burning Jeep Grand Cherokee on South Pierce Street near Columbine High School, yanking the man free as smoke and flames billowed from the wreck. The crash happened just before 1 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, after the Jeep struck a light pole along the busy suburban corridor.
Deputy Dobson was off duty and driving south on Pierce when he came upon the crash, according to a Facebook post from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. He found the driver slumped unconscious inside the vehicle and pulled him out as smoke and fire poured from the Jeep, while another deputy checked the wreck for additional passengers. Moments later, the sheriff's office says, the Jeep was fully engulfed in flames.
An off-duty nurse who happened to be nearby took over care of the driver once he was clear of the burning vehicle, and other community members pitched in to help at the scene, per the same account. Paramedics arrived and transported the driver to a nearby hospital. The sheriff's office credited Mike Jensen for the photos accompanying its post and praised Deputy Dobson for his dedication to protecting and serving the community.
Why Seconds Mattered
Collisions are the leading cause of vehicle fires resulting in death, according to National Fire Protection Association research. Nationally, fire departments respond to roughly 189,500 highway vehicle fires a year, resulting in an estimated 550 civilian deaths and 1,700 injuries, per the National Fire Protection Association's estimates. Those numbers underscore how little time first responders — or bystanders — have once flames take hold.
South Metro firefighters ultimately extinguished the blaze and kept it from spreading into nearby vegetation and homes, the sheriff's office post states. South Metro Fire Rescue covers 287.5 square miles across Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, operating 30 stations, according to South Metro Fire Rescue. The sheriff's office also named South Metro Fire Rescue, West Metro Fire Rescue, and Jeffcom 911.
A Familiar Stretch of Road
The crash happened near Columbine High School. In July, deputies rendered emergency lifesaving aid in the school's parking lot after a gunshot victim was driven there following a road rage incident that began in Littleton — a case Hoodline detailed in its report on the road rage chase that killed a Littleton man.
The outcome of Thursday's rescued driver's condition was not detailed beyond his transport to a nearby hospital.
