Bystanders pull Meck County sheriff’s deputy from cruiser after Cornelius crash

CORNELIUS, N.C. — A sheriff’s deputy is in fair condition after being pulled from his patrol car by bystanders following a crash in Cornelius Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, the deputy was attempting to avoid a crash when the collision occurred.

Several good Samaritans rushed to assist the deputy, breaking open a window to pull him from the vehicle before bringing him inside the nearby Main Street Vet Hospital to stabilize him.

The Sheriff’s Department has not released the deputy’s name, and officials have not disclosed the specific nature of his injuries or whether he was responding to an emergency call at the time.

Andrew Christie, a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, was among the first rescuers on the scene alongside Katelyn Wynn. Christie worked to break through the patrol car’s window to reach the deputy inside.

“A lady was there with us; we tried to break the window. I broke the window,” Christie said.

Once the window was broken, the rescuers pulled the deputy out of the vehicle. Wynn noted that several people also retrieved fire extinguishers to prevent the car from catching fire after noticing leaking fluid.

“We smashed his window, and when they pulled him out at first he wasn’t coherent. He was out of it, but then he came too. And then someone was like, ‘Fire, we saw the gas leaking or oil or whatever it was so then we moved him back and came inside,’” Wynn said.

Amy Orman, an employee at Main Street Vet Hospital, helped stabilize the deputy after he was brought into the building.

“He was a little out of it. He kept asking what happened, ‘Where am I?’ He wasn’t really fully there,” Orman said.

Christie recalled how quickly the rescue unfolded as bystanders leapt into action.

“It happened so fast, happened so fast, I just leap into action, I don’t have time to think that could happen to anyone and I just help,” Christie said.

Lori Hoe, the owner of Main Street Vet Hospital, said she was proud of her staff for stepping in during the emergency.

“I feel very proud. I was not here when it happened, but just hearing everything and everyone just stepped in and did all of the right things,” Hoe said.

Wynn shared that her family connection to law enforcement motivated her response to the crash.

“Both of my brothers are police officers, so I would just want somebody else to do the same if they were involved in an accident like that,” Wynn said.

This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com and watch Eyewitness News for updates.