A Norwood police officer is honored for pulling an unconscious man from a flipped-over, burning car.Police said seconds earlier the suspect had been speeding away in a pursuit.Every day, police officers hit the streets not knowing what or who they will encounter.In this case, there was no time to waste and skills kicked in."Fortunately, you know, like I said, I was able to get the door open and everything ended up OK," Norwood police Officer David Froesel said.Thinking back to that moment is emotional for Froesel.He has been on the force a little more than a year, and a man's life was in his hands."The only thing that I was really worried about at the time was trying to get him out because as you can see from the video, I mean the fire took off very fast," Froesel said.It had only been seconds prior in the early morning hours of April 9, when he spotted the man behind the wheel, Keith Lamar Wright, 35, driving erratically.Wright had allegedly been going 71 miles per hour in an area of Ross Avenue marked for just 25 miles per hour.Froesel said he caught up to Wright and the Kia Sorento he was driving at Ross and Readng, when Wright apparently took a sharp turn onto Reading Road, almost hitting a car.The officer said he followed Wright onto the Norwood Lateral all the way to Paddock Road, where he kept speeding away."He was moving pretty fast. I was going about 90 miles an hour on Paddock, which is a 35 mile an hour road and he was way ahead of me. So, he was probably north of 100 miles an hour," Froesel said.It was when Froesel got to Paddock and East Seymour that the situation took an explosive turn.Wright slammed the Kia into a utility police, according to police, blowing a transformer and bringing down wires.The Kia was flipped and on fire.Police said Wright was stuck inside, unconscious, and Froesel shattered a window with his baton to get him out while the Kia burned.It earned Froesel Norwood's Life-Saving Award this week."I think that that's the award that everybody, you know, kind of strives for, but you know at the end of the day this is just part of the job. At the end of the day, it's just public service. Public safety," he said.Froesel said he became a police officer a little more than a year ago for many reasons, with the biggest one being that he wants to help people.Wright was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center from the scene.It appears he was indicted earlier this month on several charges linked to the incident, including failure to comply with the signal of a police officer and improperly handling firearms in a vehicle.
A Norwood police officer is honored for pulling an unconscious man from a flipped-over, burning car.
Police said seconds earlier the suspect had been speeding away in a pursuit.
Every day, police officers hit the streets not knowing what or who they will encounter.
In this case, there was no time to waste and skills kicked in.
"Fortunately, you know, like I said, I was able to get the door open and everything ended up OK," Norwood police Officer David Froesel said.
Thinking back to that moment is emotional for Froesel.
He has been on the force a little more than a year, and a man's life was in his hands.
"The only thing that I was really worried about at the time was trying to get him out because as you can see from the video, I mean the fire took off very fast," Froesel said.
It had only been seconds prior in the early morning hours of April 9, when he spotted the man behind the wheel, Keith Lamar Wright, 35, driving erratically.
Wright had allegedly been going 71 miles per hour in an area of Ross Avenue marked for just 25 miles per hour.
Froesel said he caught up to Wright and the Kia Sorento he was driving at Ross and Readng, when Wright apparently took a sharp turn onto Reading Road, almost hitting a car.
The officer said he followed Wright onto the Norwood Lateral all the way to Paddock Road, where he kept speeding away.
"He was moving pretty fast. I was going about 90 miles an hour on Paddock, which is a 35 mile an hour road and he was way ahead of me. So, he was probably north of 100 miles an hour," Froesel said.
It was when Froesel got to Paddock and East Seymour that the situation took an explosive turn.
Wright slammed the Kia into a utility police, according to police, blowing a transformer and bringing down wires.
The Kia was flipped and on fire.
Police said Wright was stuck inside, unconscious, and Froesel shattered a window with his baton to get him out while the Kia burned.
It earned Froesel Norwood's Life-Saving Award this week.
"I think that that's the award that everybody, you know, kind of strives for, but you know at the end of the day this is just part of the job. At the end of the day, it's just public service. Public safety," he said.
Froesel said he became a police officer a little more than a year ago for many reasons, with the biggest one being that he wants to help people.
Wright was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center from the scene.
It appears he was indicted earlier this month on several charges linked to the incident, including failure to comply with the signal of a police officer and improperly handling firearms in a vehicle.
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