A Jackson firefighter is being called a hero after he helped pull a man to safety from a burning vehicle after a crash. Veteran firefighter Tavaris Patton just got off duty at Station 25 on Siwell Road and was heading home when he spotted a burning Jeep with a man trapped inside. It happened early Monday on Pearson Road near Whitfield in Pearl. The Jeep burst into flames after a head-on collision with another car.”And I jump on the Jeep to assist and then I see that the man is still in his seatbelt. It was kind of hard because he couldn’t respond to anything,” Patton said. Patton realized he didn’t have a lot of time to get the man out of harm’s way.”I reached down and started untangling his legs,” Patton said. “I realize both his legs are broken, so once finally untangling his legs, we were able to pull him out.”But the man still wasn’t in the clear. Patton said he and another bystander managed to get the injured man about 50 yards away from the Jeep.”I struggle to go behind a tree for his safety and for our safety, so in case the Jeep exploded, we would have some kind of protection,” Patton said. The man was flown by helicopter to a hospital for treatment. Patton, who has been a firefighter for about 20 years, believes he was in the right place at the right time. Patton said he left work a little late and if he had been on time, he would have missed the trapped man and the outcome may have been a lot different.
A Jackson firefighter is being called a hero after he helped pull a man to safety from a burning vehicle after a crash.
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Veteran firefighter Tavaris Patton just got off duty at Station 25 on Siwell Road and was heading home when he spotted a burning Jeep with a man trapped inside. It happened early Monday on Pearson Road near Whitfield in Pearl. The Jeep burst into flames after a head-on collision with another car.
“And I jump on the Jeep to assist and then I see that the man is still in his seatbelt. It was kind of hard because he couldn’t respond to anything,” Patton said.
Patton realized he didn’t have a lot of time to get the man out of harm’s way.
“I reached down and started untangling his legs,” Patton said. “I realize both his legs are broken, so once finally untangling his legs, we were able to pull him out.”
But the man still wasn’t in the clear. Patton said he and another bystander managed to get the injured man about 50 yards away from the Jeep.
“I struggle to go behind a tree for his safety and for our safety, so in case the Jeep exploded, we would have some kind of protection,” Patton said.
The man was flown by helicopter to a hospital for treatment. Patton, who has been a firefighter for about 20 years, believes he was in the right place at the right time. Patton said he left work a little late and if he had been on time, he would have missed the trapped man and the outcome may have been a lot different.