TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW) – A 20-year-veteran of Kansas Highway Patrol was honored today for rescuing a man from a burning semi. It happened February 21 after a crash on the Kansas Turnpike.
Technical Trooper Raul Carrillo was on the turnpike when a semi hauling diesel fuel crashed into a barrier wall. He saw flames coming from the cab and heard the driver yelling for help.
Carrillo freed the driver through the shattered windshield. The driver of the semi and Carrillo sustained injuries during the incident.
Carillo was honored with the Governor’s Award for Valor.
“Technical Trooper Carrillo acted in a truly heroic manner. He rose above and beyond the call of duty, risking his own life to save another, bringing great credit to the Kansas Highway Patrol and to himself,” said Colonel Mark Bruce, Superintendent of the Patrol. “I could not be more proud of him.”
The award is intended for those KHP employees whose acts of heroism demonstrate exceptional bravery under circumstances involving risk of severe personal injury or loss of life to either the employee or another person.
The Kansas Highway Patrol dash-cam footage from the event is posted above. You can also click here to view it.
