Mass. Police Officers Pull Trapped Man from Burning Car

Two Worcester police officers pulled a 22-year-old man out of a burning car, minutes before it burst into flames, after the vehicle collided with a boulder near Southwest Common Plaza early Monday morning.

At 1 a.m. on Monday, a Worcester police officer was traveling near Southwest Common Plaza when she saw a large amount of debris on the road. The officer proceeded to walk over to the debris and discover a vehicle flipped on its roof and on fire, according to officials.

The officer immediately called for assistance and attempted to make contact with the vehicle operator. The officer asked the 22-year-old driver to unbuckle himself, but the man was unresponsive, according to officials. The officer went on to pry the passenger door open, but was unable to reach the seatbelt buckle due to the fire. Another officer arrived on the scene minutes later and helped cut the seatbelt.

The two officers were able to safely extricate the man from the vehicle and move him a safe distance from the flames as they awaited Worcester EMS.

A few minutes after police pulled the man out of the car, the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames, according to officials.

First responders rushed the man to a local Worcester-area hospital to have his serious injuries treated.

Worcester police said a preliminary investigation revealed that the operator was traveling at high speeds east on the southwest cutoff with his lights off. The driver steered into the right side shoulder of the road and collided with a large boulder, according to the investigation.

The 22-year-old’s car flipped numerous before coming to a halt several feet down the road near Southwest Common Plaza.

Worcester police are still investigating the vehicle crash.

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