Tampa police rescue 7-year-old boy, father trapped in SUV
By: Tampa, FL - Tampa police officers are reminding people to buckle up after seat belts saved the lives of a father and son who they rescued after a crash.
Law enforcement responded to a two-car crash at 12:35 p.m. on May 19 near the 1200 block of East Fowler Avenue. Bodycam video shows officers responding to a white SUV tipped over, with half of it on the pavement and half on top of a smaller car.
After making sure the driver was not hurt, officers climbed on top of the smaller car and opened the front passenger side door of the SUV. An officer cut the airbag that was deployed during the crash as he assured the man that he would get him to safety.
"Can you take out my kid first?" the driver is heard asking an officer on body camera footage.
Video shows the officer opening the back passenger side door to help the 7-year-old boy climb out of the car.
"Hey, little guy! Can you climb out here?" the officer asks. "Come on out, buddy."
An officer can be seen picking the boy up and bringing him to safety on a nearby sidewalk, while other officers help the father climb out of the SUV.
When police asked the little boy how he felt, he responded "Good!" and gave the officer a high-five.
"You're a champ, bro," the officer told the boy.
"Thankfully, the involved parties only suffered minor injuries because they were buckled up," the post read. "Real-life heroes don’t wear capes, they buckle up!"