(WWJ) A Michigan State Police trooper leapt into action this morning, rescuing a driver from a vehicle in flames on the freeway.
At around 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, MSP troopers were dispatched to I-94 near Haggerty Rd., in Van Buren Twp., after 911 calls came in about a car and a boat on fire.
A Metro South trooper arrived first on scene and found a 63-year-old man slumped over and unconscious in the driver's seat of an SUV.
Police said the trooper tried to use his baton to break the passenger side window out, but because of the window tint on the cars' front windows, he had to use his hands to push the window in.
The trooper was then able to pull the driver from the vehicle.
EMS arrived and treated the driver for low blood sugar at the scene before taking him to a local hospital. The trooper had cuts to both of his arms and hands and was also treated at the scene, police said.
An investigation found the driver was pulling a boat eastbound on I-94 when he suffered a medical emergency, the boat separated from the trailer and both went up in flames. Investigators found that the fire was caused by the driver having his foot on the gas, causing the tires to catch fire.
Both the SUV and the boat were destroyed.
The eastbound freeway was shut down due to the incident, causing traffic delays during the morning commute, but has since reopened.
