Two off-duty officers help rescue a man from the wreckage of a burning car accident along I-40 east of Sallisaw on Wednesday.

 

Assistant Police Chief for the City of Stigler John Vail and Oklahoma Corporation Commission Transportation Division Enforcement Officer Hayden Cantrell both happened upon the scene of a single-vehicle accident on Wednesday. The driver of the vehicle had been traveling at a high rate of speed when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed through multiple trees in the median before coming to a stop. When Vail reached the vehicle, a fire had already begun in the engine. Vail tried and failed to remove the driver from the vehicle and retrieved a fire extinguisher when he was joined by Cantrell. Vail worked to douse the fire while Cantrell pulled the man from the burning vehicle, saving him from the blaze.

 

The victim was flown to a hospital for treatment for his injuries.

 

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission says it will award the 23-year-old Cantrell with a special citation to formally recognize his courage at a future commission meeting.