Off-duty BSO deputy rescues man from flaming truck cabin
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A Broward Sheriff's Office deputy is being praised as a hero after she saved a truck driver from his flaming vehicle on her way home from work.
Deputy Gina Bascone rescued the driver of a big rig that flipped over and burst into flames on Interstate 95 after she witnessed the tractor-trailer flipping over right in front of her vehicle as she traveled northbound. Acting on instinct, she jumped out of her car to help the man in the burning truck.
According to police, the tractor-trailer, which was carrying tires, rolled over and burst into flames just north of Atlantic Boulevard on I-95 when another car crashed into it. "Immediately when the truck hit the wall it burst into flames," Bascone said.
When she made to the side of the road with the victim, two off-duty Fort Laudedale firefighters also stopped to render aid.
The driver of the truck suffered severe burns on over 90 percent of his body. After Bascone pulled him out and dragged him to the other side of the highway, crews transported him to North Broward Medical Center. He was then airlifted from North Broward to Jackson Memorial Hospital and is still listed in critical condition.
Police blame Julianne E. Ford, 29, from Fort Lauderdale for causing the accident. Ford was driving a 2002 silver Nissan Altima when she collided with the truck and crashed into some bushes on the east side of the roadway. Rescue crews had to cut the roof off of the car to extract her from the vehicle. She was transported to North Broward Medical Center and remains in good condition at the hospital.
Bascone suffered smoke inhalation and a minor burn on her hand. She was transported to North Broward Medical Center where she was treated and released the same day.
The 32-year-old deputy has been with BSO since 2003 and is currently a School Resource Deputy in the Oakland Park District at Oakland Park Elementary and Lloyd Estates Elementary.
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