A police officer in Jackson, Mississippi who tried in vain to save the life of a man trapped inside a burning vehicle last week stayed by his side until he took his very last breath.
Sgt. William Bright spotted the crash the morning of Sept. 21 at interstates 220 and 20 and told WAPT-TV that it was one of the worst he's witnessed in his 16-year career.
He noticed a truck down in the woods with its lights on and entered the vehicle to discover that the man was pinned in before to vehicle caught on fire.
EMS arrived on the scene and Bright attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher but was unsuccessful.
"I took him by the hand and I told him I was going to be there with him. I stayed until he started burning. There was nothing I could do," he told the news station. "I hated to get out and leave that man. I did everything I could to save that man."
Right before the end, the two men shared a prayer as the situation grew more dire.
"I'm sure we were both talking to the good lord," he said. "I knew that the truck could explode and would take me with it. Some things you just do."
Bright said he did what any officer would do, but wishes that he could have done more.
