Injured deputy in burning vehicle pulled free by fellow deputy, NC sheriff says

A sheriff’s deputy was seriously injured when a patrol vehicle crashed and caught fire while responding to a call, according to investigators in North Carolina.

It happened Tuesday near China Grove in Rowan County, and the deputy was pulled free of the patrol vehicle by a fellow deputy, officials said.

Identities of the deputies involved have not been released.

“Two deputies with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office were responding to an emergency call for service with emergency equipment activated when one of the patrol vehicles was involved in a collision with another vehicle on N.C. Highway 152 near Daugherty Road,” the sheriff’s office said in a May 26 news release.

“Following the collision, the deputy’s patrol vehicle left the roadway, entered a field, and caught fire. The second responding deputy immediately stopped and was able to pull the injured deputy from the burning vehicle.”

The injured deputy and occupants from the other vehicle were taken to a hospital with “serious but not life-threatening injuries,” the sheriff’s office said.

Details of what caused the crash were not released. The N.C. State Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, officials said.

“The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office is grateful for the quick actions of the responding deputy and the assistance provided by emergency personnel on scene,” the sheriff’s office said.

China Grove is about a 35-mile drive northeast from uptown Charlotte.