CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (TNND) — A South Carolina deputy rescued a woman from her burning vehicle following a crash on Interstate 77 on May 23.
According to the Chester County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Daniel Threatt was the first responder to the single-vehicle accident at approximately 2:41 p.m. The woman's car had overturned and was partially on fire with her trapped inside.
Authorities said Threatt immediately entered the burning vehicle to pull the driver to safety, despite the risks involved. Additional first responders arrived to extinguish the flames and provide medical assistance.
The driver, later identified as Carletta Bush, was en route to Charlotte for a significant milestone: completing her radiation treatments for breast cancer. Body camera footage showed Threatt breaking a window to reach her.
“I called out to her, and she said she was stuck in the seat belt,” Threatt recalled. “Whenever I was about to go inside, I was thinking, well, you know, this car could blow up at any moment.”
Bush referred to Threatt as her “guardian angel,” stating, “Nobody, nobody came to save me.”
Threatt later visited Bush in the hospital, reflecting on the incident and crediting divine intervention. “It was probably the coolest thing I've done in my career,” he said.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.