(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Two Kane County sheriff's deputies, including one who's only been on the job for a few months, are being hailed as heroes for risking their lives to pull a man from a burning vehicle this week.
Sheriff Ron Hain said a pickup truck crashed into a utility pole Tuesday along Dunham Road near Lamplight Trail in Wayne. The vehicle flipped over and burst into flames, he said.
Deputy Steven Turcios, a five-year veteran, and Deputy Ryan Reichardt, who's only been on the job for about three months, were the first emergency personnel on scene, the sheriff said.
The officers immediately went in to rescue the badly injured man from the burning truck, despite the danger, Hain said.
"When it comes to gas lines, it's not quite like the movies — but relatively close. They burn very fast. So, we're thankful they got there within the time that they did and that they took the actions that they took to save that life," he said.
Hain said such rescues are part of a deputy's job but it's unusual for a deputy as new as Reichardt to face something like that so early in his career. In this respect, he said, Reichardt literally had an "indoctrination by fire."
Both deputies will be honored with lifesaving awards at a ceremony this summer.
