HOUSTON — Right place at the right time, that's how three Houston Police Department SWAT team members said they were able to save a wrong-way driver's life.
On April 18, in the north lanes of 288, a driver hit a concrete barrier and their SUV burst into flames.
"I've never seen a car burn to the ground like that before," Houston Police Department SWAT member Jack Zakharia said.
It was a scary situation in the southbound lanes.
"As I'm running up, I remember seeing Jack jump in headfirst," HPD SWAT member Tony Villa said.
The problem was visibility: The fire was causing a blinding smokescreen.
"The smoke was so thick I couldn't see the driver in his seat I was right next to," Zakharia said. "So, I yell, 'Is anybody in there?' And I can hear the guy yell: 'Help get me out of here.'"
They had to act fast. The fire was raging and spreading quickly.
"Maybe 40 seconds had elapsed since we got there, and the fire had grown exponentially," HPD SWAT member Austin Huckabee said. "And it went from just an engine fire to the whole car was fully ablaze."
The trio was able to pull the wrong-way driver from the burning SUV and get him to safety. Zakharia said it was divine intervention.
"We were there for a reason," Zakharia said. "It was a matter of seconds. Not a matter of minutes. We talked to the doctors on the scene who went down with the patient and he told us with the smoke inhalation he already had in his lungs they said he only had about 10 more seconds and he would have been unsavable."
The driver was taken to the hospital. He survived. HPD said he's possibly facing DWI charges.
"We were able to save his life, but it's a reminder of how quickly life can be taken," Huckabee said.