LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Three Louisville Metro Police officers are being commended for rescuing two people from burning vehicles after a crash on Interstate 65, all of which was caught on body cameras.
It happened around 5:30 a.m. Thursday on southbound I-65 between the Fern Valley and Outer Loop exits. Police say a car that was already pulled over on the interstate was rear-ended by another driver, then both vehicles caught fire.
Officers on the scene minutes later found both drivers unresponsive. The officers got one driver to wake up, then free himself from under one of the cars.
An officer used a baton to break the windshield of the other car and ripped pieces of the windshield away, which created a hole that was big enough to pull the driver out. Police say both drivers were rescued by the police officers just minutes before an explosion.
The officers were identified by LMPD as Officer Kelly, Officer Ashley and Officer Maloney. The rescues happened while the officers were also coming off 11-hour shifts.
The two drivers were taken to a hospital where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Officials said the officers were also taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. One of them received stitches from pulling one of the drivers through the window.