An off-duty cop answered the call of duty - saving a man's life after a terrifying crash. He's this week's KRLD Difference Maker.
Assistant police chief Anthony Hogan is a 26 year veteran of the force. He was on his way home in August of 2020 when he saw something strange.
A huge truck was in the left lane and it was starting to drift.
"Usually that road is so packed with people, but for whatever reason it was just me and him on the road that day," Anthony said. "When he hit that center divider at full speed, about 70 or 80 miles per hour, his vehicle went up into the air and when it came down it burst into flames."
Hogan immediately stopped and ran up to what ended up being a welding truck complete with acetylene and oxygen tanks in the back, which are highly flammable. He found the front of the truck smashed with all the windows blown out and the driver inside was unconscious. The door was broken and would not open so Anthony unbuckled the driver's seat belt and tried to pull him out of the window.
"At the same time I'm noticing the flames are underneath the truck and billowing up around my feet and ankles. I remember yanking on and yanking on him. Finally I was able to put my foot on the door and pull hard and yanked him out. As I was carrying him back the tanks and the truck exploded," Anthony said nonchalantly.
Due to the extent of the driver's injuries - Anthony didn't think the man would survive.
"The craziest part is he usually drives home with his son everyday and for some reason that day he did not drive home with his son so it was kind of a godsend there," Anthony said.
And the driver, named Mike, did survive and went to meet Anthony at the Grand Prairie police department to say thank you for saving his life.
The two remain friends and still keep in touch.
After speaking with investigators and telling his story, Anthony got a big surprise.
He got a letter saying he'd been nominated for the Carnegie Heroism Award.
"I didn't hear back for a while and then I got a call from the investigator telling me I had been awarded the Carnegie Heroism medal, which was awesome," Anthony said.
The Carnegie Medal is the nation's highest honor for civilian heroism and recognizes people who risked their lives to save others.
We're proud to call Asst. Chief Anthony Hogan this week's KRLD Difference Maker.
If you know someone making a difference in the community, send us an email at differencemaker@krld.com.
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