An Iowa State Patrol trooper risked his own life to save a man trapped inside a burning vehicle.
Trooper Dustin Henningsen responded to the crash on Golden Valley Drive, between I-74 and Utica Ridge Road in Bettendorf when he noticed the car fuming with smoke, according to KWQC-TV.
The trooper quickly sprung into action after realizing there was no time to waste.
"When I got up to the vehicle, at that point is was on fire, mostly in the engine compartment and I could see somebody inside," he told the news station.
Henningsen first attempted to unlock the doors but was unsuccessful.
"I could see that the subject was in there, he wasn’t moving. I could see that his eyes were open, but he wasn't physically able to open the door for me," he said. "At that point I went back and got a crow bar out of my truck."
After several attempts to break in, still nothing worked. The trooper moved to the front driver window as the fire grew more intense when the engine suddenly exploded. It was at that point he was worried he wouldn't get the man out.
"I ran around down this hill to the front driver side window and I began to hit that as hard as I could and eventually I was able to reach in, unlock the door and get access to the inside of the vehicle," he said.
Henningsen was then able to pull the man out of the vehicle to safety.
"I don't feel like a hero, I know that any person in my situation would have done the same thing had they had the tools and the ability," he said. "I'm thankful that this is another incident where we’re able to help somebody and make sure somebody's safe and I'm thankful for that."
