A North Texas man was rescued last Friday thanks to the swift actions of The Colony police officers after his car crashed and became trapped between two barriers on an overpass.
The incident occurred around 1:23 a.m. on July 19 in the 5700 block of South Colony Boulevard at Highway 121. According to authorities, the collision caused the vehicle to become wedged between the barriers on the overpass.
The Colony Police Department shared dramatic footage from Officer Edwardo Hernandez’s body camera, which captured the intense moments when officers arrived at the scene. The car was pinned between the barriers along both the southbound and northbound lanes of the overpass.
Witness Jersey Goldman, who was driving home, was the first to reach the wreck and found the vehicle trapped with no visible movement inside. “I saw a car wedged between the concrete barriers on each side,” Goldman said. “I immediately called 911. While on the phone with The Colony Police, I saw a flame sparking under the front of the vehicle.”
Despite efforts to extinguish the flames with fire extinguishers, the electric car continued to burn. Officer Hernandez, who has been with The Colony Police Department since 2022, described his response: “Seeing the car catching fire, I grabbed my fire extinguisher and then decided I needed to get the driver out. I was determined not to let this person die.”
In the video, Hernandez is seen using a Halligan tool, which resembles a heavy pickaxe, to break the car’s window. After smashing the window, he cut the airbag to reveal the disoriented driver, who repeatedly said, “I’m okay.” Hernandez then guided the driver out of the vehicle as flames began to engulf the car.
Hernandez and his fellow officers moved the driver to safety just moments before the vehicle was fully consumed by fire. Witnesses have praised Hernandez for his heroism. “If those officers, especially Officer Hernandez, hadn’t arrived in time, the outcome could have been vastly different,” Goldman said.
Hernandez credited his training and faith for helping him through the ordeal. “I felt that I made a real difference in someone’s life,” Hernandez remarked. The driver was taken to a local hospital with crash-related injuries but was reported to be alert and recovering. An officer was also hospitalized for smoke inhalation but is expected to recover. Other officers were evaluated by paramedics on the scene and returned to duty.
