BURLINGTON, Ky. -- Boone County Sheriff Michael Helmig recognized two deputies and a sergeant on Monday for their efforts to save a man from a burning vehicle.
Sgt. Jared DeMoisey and Deputies Nick England and Richard Pauls were among the officers who responded to the report of a fully engulfed car fire on northbound Interstate 75 near Walton on July 4.
All three immediately went to work trying to extinguish the flames and extract the driver, 51-year-old David Harris Jr., who was pinned.
England, a seven-year veteran with the department, and Pauls, who is still in Field Training Officer status, never left Harris through the whole incident, according to the sheriff's office. DeMoisey, a 25-year veteran with the department, directed traffic on the congested highway to make way for firefighters once he realized the deputies' fire extinguishers were running low.
The first responders did eventually extinguish the fire and were able to remove Harris, of Reynoldsburgh, Ohio, from the car. He was flown to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, though he died the next day from his injuries.
"Those present risked their lives as they tried to pull the man from the burning car time and again even as detonations could be heard coming from the wreckage," the sheriff's office said in a news release.
Helmig recognized England and Pauls with the "Sheriff's Citation for Bravery Medal" and DeMoisey with the "Deputy's Medal" on Monday.
