Officer rescued from fiery crash speaks
"Once I get better I'm going to take him out for a steak"
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Officer Mark Kimsey suffered a concussion and injured his knee, but on Monday he was smiling and grateful to the bystanders who saved his life.
Officer Kimsey's police cruiser caught fire at 28th and Tasker Saturday evening after colliding with a pickup truck.
After the impact, the 30-year-old officer remembers hearing a voice yelling at him.
"'Your car's on fire. I need to get you out.' He tried to open the door and the door wouldn't open. He's like 'I got to pull you out through the window.' So he grabbed a hold of my vest and just started pulling me out. I couldn't really feel my legs," Kimsey said.
That voice was Joseph Chambers, a 17-year-old Ridley Park volunteer firefighter who happened to be nearby and jumped in to help.
24-year-old Dante Johnson also saw the commotion and helped Chambers drag the officer to safety.
Then they rescued a 52-year-old passenger of the pickup who was unconscious.
"If they hadn't pulled me out of the car, I'd still be sitting in it. I appreciate them being the heroes," Kimsey said.
Before the accident, Kimsey was on a priority call with lights and sirens. He has one year on the Philadelphia police force, with several years of federal police experience under his belt.
Chambers visited Kimsey in the hospital and now the two are friends for life.
"I thanked him, told him I owed him, so once I get better I'm going to take him out for a steak or something," Kimsey said.
The investigation into the accident still remains under investigation.
