Heroic cops pull elderly man from upturned burning car

Two quick-thinking police officers in Queensland have risked their lives to help save an elderly man trapped in a burning car north of Brisbane.

The 73-year-old is believed to have lost control of his car in Gympie at 7.10am yesterday.

Gympie police Constable Jeremy Gardiol and Senior Constable Kevin Mayo were called to a traffic accident and found the driver trapped in his upturned car.

Officers can be seen using their batons to smash through the windscreen. Picture: Supplied
Officers can be seen using their batons to smash through the windscreen. Picture: Supplied

In dramatic footage, officers can be seen using their batons to smash through the windscreen before kicking it as smoke and fire billowed from the bonnet of the vehicle.

Eventually, they can be seen pulling the elderly man through the window to safety.

The officers told the TODAY Show they didn"t think twice before throwing themselves into the dangerous situation. 

Const Jeremy Gardiol (left) and Sen-Const Kevin Mayo were called to a traffic accident and found the driver trapped. Picture: 9NEWS
Const Jeremy Gardiol (left) and Sen-Const Kevin Mayo were called to a traffic accident and found the driver trapped. Picture: 9NEWS
The elderly man is pulled through the window to safety. Picture: Supplied
The elderly man is pulled through the window to safety. Picture: Supplied

"When you"re confronted with that situation, the first thing you think is you just have to get him out," Const Gardiol said.

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"We could see an elderly man trapped inside who was distressed because he wasn"t able to extricate himself.

"When we got him out and to a safe location, the flames started going quite high and within about a minute"s time, the flames had gone straight through the whole vehicle."

Sen-Const Mayo said he hit the window about 30 times with his baton before it smashed.

"It seemed like an eternity because half way through smashing in, it started to cross that line between brave or stupid and I was starting to think we need to get out of there.

Not long after the officers pulled him out, flames filled the car. Picture: Supplied
Not long after the officers pulled him out, flames filled the car. Picture: Supplied

"I was obviously thinking about the kids at home and the fact that he"s in there and we"ve got to get to him. We were all in it together.

"There was a really helpful gentleman who was just grabbing at the glass with his bare hands and that was just a really great site to see because I had my work cut out for me on that window. 

"We got him out of there. He"s a really lucky man. We saw him in hospital and he"s recovering really well."

The man was taken to hospital with minor head injuries.

The blaze was quickly extinguished.

The 73-year-old is believed to have lost control of his car in Gympie. Picture: Supplied
The 73-year-old is believed to have lost control of his car in Gympie. Picture: Supplied

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2018

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