LODI, Calif. (AP) — A police officer in California pulled a man from a wheelchair that was stuck on railroad tracks seconds before the train came past, in a dramatic rescue caught on the officer’s body camera.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Officer Erika Urrea of the Lodi Police Department was patrolling Wednesday near the tracks when she saw the man and the railroad crossing arms starting to come down, the police department said in a statement.
The video shows Urrea rushes from her patrol car and tries to push the man and the wheelchair out of the way as the oncoming locomotive sounds its horn. Unable to move the wheelchair, Urrea is seen dragging the man from it seconds before the train barrels through, striking the wheelchair and the man’s leg, the department said.
“Officer Urrea risked her own life to save another and her actions prevented a tragedy,” the statement said.
The 66-year-old man was taken to a hospital to be treated for a leg injury and remained hospitalized Thursday in stable condition, said Lodi Police Department spokesman Sgt. Ricardo Garcia.
TO THE RESCUE: Bodycam footage released by police in California captures the moment Officer Erika Urrea saved a man in a wheelchair who got stuck on train tracks.
The 66-year old man suffered a leg injury and was transported to the hospital, police say. https://t.co/dSGs437AkN pic.twitter.com/1fiZIM6rmT
— ABC News (@ABC) August 13, 2020
Wow! Incredible!!
Good thing they didn’t defund the police there……
Defund the police.
This police officer is truly a hero. Let the fools who advocate defunding the police understand the value of having a police force ready to help whenever needed.
Wait for it: Police officer sued for violently pulling disabled man from wheelchair.