DPS Trooper reflects on rescuing man stuck under burning truck
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A trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety speaks out after his heroic action is caught on camera.
Just after 4 a.m. on Sunday, DPS trooper Armando Martinez came across an overturned pickup truck in the middle of the highway on U.S. 281 by University Drive in Edinburg.
Stuck inside that truck was 22-year-old Gerardo Avila, unconscious while the vehicle caught fire.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: DPS Trooper rescues man from burning truck
“My only thought was to get Mr. Avila out,” Martinez said. “It was in the middle of the highway. Four in the morning, you do have traffic, but none of that mattered. It was just— get that person out safely.”
In less than two minutes, Martinez and another trooper rescued Avila from the flames; he is now in a San Antonio burn unit being treated for his injuries.
“I can remember how intense the situation got,” Martinez said. “The only fear that I had was that I wasn’t going to be able to get him out, but I was determined to make sure it happened.”
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