INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. -- An Indian River County deputy is being praised for his potentially life-saving actions.
Dash camera video captured deputy David Dozer pulling a man from a burning car near 94th Street and 156th Avenue.
Dispatchers received 911 calls describing seeing a burning car and someone stuck inside.
Dozer said he saw the fire before the calls came in, and pulled up to see what was happening only minutes after the crash. He didn’t know what caused the car to crash, or why it was on fire.
He’s seen approaching the car cautiously. “I was looking for hazards like down power lines,” Dozer explained.
Shortly after, he opens the car door, not knowing anyone was in the car.
“As the smoke started exiting the vehicle, I could see his left hand, That’s when I reached in and grabbed him,” Dozer said.
The deputy says the man couldn’t get out on his own. He pulled him onto the street, monitored his breathing, then made sure no one else was in the car.
“I'm glad that I was there to help him out so he didn’t have another outcome,” Dozer said.
Sheriff Deryl Loar says Deputy Dozer’s timing may have saved the man’s life.
“You’ll see in less than one minute after deputy dozer rescues this person, the car actually completely engulfs in flames,” Loar said.
This is the second time in seven weeks that Indian River County deputies have pulled someone from a burning car.
Dozer is a 26- year veteran with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
He says he has also been recognized in the past for saving three children from a pond after their canoe capsized.
The man in the burning car has not been identified. He is recovering in an Orlando burn center.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.