(AP) — A police officer in Mississippi who crashed while chasing down a speeding vehicle was saved by a good Samaritan that pulled him out of his burning patrol car, the chief of the police department said.
The Poplarville officer, identified as J.D. Herring, clocked a vehicle going about 50 mph over the speed limit late Tuesday night, Chief Danny Collier told The Picayune Item.
Herring activated his lights and sirens, and chased the vehicle until it drove out of sight, Collier said. Then, Herring came to a curve and hit a gravel driveway. He lost control and plowed into a stop sign before slamming into several brick columns, according to the chief.
A nearby resident pulled Herring from his patrol car as flames started erupting, carrying the officer about 30 yards away. By the time paramedics arrived, the patrol car was a total loss, Collier said.
Herring was taken to a hospital for treatment, and is expected to be back on the job in a month or two, the chief said. Herring suffered a broken leg and received stitches in his hand.