On April 14th, 2019 at approximately 11:15 PM Officers were dispatched to the area of Dequindre Rd North of 17 Mile Rd on an injury accident that just occurred.
Upon the arrival of Officer Jim Sribniak and Ofc. Wendall Potts, they observed a serious injury accident between a silver Chevrolet Traverse, and a red Dodge Stratus.
The Officers observed that the Dodge had caught on fire, and they quickly realized that the driver of the Dodge was thrown to the passenger side of the vehicle due to the impact of the collision. The driver was unconscious, and not responding to the Officers commands at first. The doors of the Dodge were locked on the vehicle, and the driver side door had been crushed, but was partially forced open. At first, the Officers attempted break the passenger window, but were unsuccessful, so they ultimately had to force open the driver side door. As Ofc. Sribniak forced the door open, Officer Potts grabbed the driver and carried him out of the vehicle and away from the burning Dodge Stratus. After being pulled to safety, the driver was then attended to by EMS personnel. Ultimately, the accident occurred on our shared border with Troy, which ended up being Troy Police Departments accident and investigation. The driver that our officers saved was transported to the hospital and was under investigation by Troy Police Department for Operating While Intoxicated.
The Sterling Heights Police Officers involved in this incident not only saved the life of a driver in a burning car, but risked their own lives to save a suspected drunk driver. We commend our officers for their bravery, and going above and beyond to save a person’s life. Any questions please contact Lt. Bastianelli at 586-446-2804