A Leesburg Police officer is being lauded for pulling a man from a burning pickup truck Thursday night after a single-vehicle crash.
Officer Adam Digiacomo responded to the incident on Tally Road, just west of Citrus Boulevard, shortly after 6 p.m. When he arrived, he located a white Ford Ranger truck in tall grass and bushes on the north side of the roadway. As he approached the vehicle, Digiacomo saw smoke and flames coming from under underneath the small pickup and its engine compartment, a police report says.
Digiacomo, who also is a military veteran, quickly grabbed his fire extinguisher from his police cruiser, went back to the vehicle and located a man sitting in the driver’ seat. He used the extinguisher to keep the flames from spreading as he made contact with the injured, driver, who appeared to be in an “altered mental status” and non-responsive to his instructions, the report says.
Digiacomo then opened the driver’s door, unfastened the seatbelt and pulled the driver out of the vehicle, taking him a safe distance away from the burning pickup. Lake EMS responded and transported the man to Leesburg Regional Medical Center for treatment and evaluation.
Crews from Leesburg Fire Rescue also responded and were able to extinguish the blaze shortly after arriving on scene. The incident remains under investigation.
