By Tiffany Williams –
A driver’s foot was pinned beneath a crushed dashboard and burning when three Holbrook police officers worked to pull him from a Jeep early Sunday morning. The officers freed the man as flames spread across the front of the vehicle, with one officer sustaining minor burns during the rescue.
The crash happened near 206 Pine St. on October 25. At approximately 3:20 a.m., Sgt. Martin Faherty and Officers Jonathan O’Brien and Matthew Richards responded to a report that a Jeep had crashed and caught fire.
Officer Jonathan O’Brien arrived first to find a utility pole snapped in half, low-hanging wires and flames spreading across the Jeep’s front end. Bystanders alerted him that the driver remained trapped inside.
The man had partially escaped, but his right foot was pinned beneath the damaged dashboard. His foot and sneaker were on fire as Officer Jonathan O’Brien tried to free him.
Sgt. Martin Faherty and Officer Matthew Richards arrived to assist, and the three officers worked together to pull the driver free within approximately one minute of their arrival. Sgt. Martin Faherty and Officer Matthew Richards then dragged him to safety.
Officer Jonathan O’Brien sustained minor burns to his fingers during the rescue. Holbrook firefighters extinguished the vehicle fire, treated the driver and transported him to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening.
“These officers did an incredible job under dangerous conditions,” Chief Del Papa said. “The outcome would have been much different had they not arrived so quickly and acted immediately. Their quick response likely saved his life.”
A preliminary investigation determined that the Jeep left the roadway, struck a utility pole and a tree, and crashed into a retaining wall. Several nearby properties sustained damage.
Police are seeking a summons for the driver, a 37-year-old Holbrook man, for operating under the influence of liquor, second offense; negligent operation of a motor vehicle; a marked lanes violation; and speeding. The request follows the department’s on-scene investigation into the crash.