ARCADIA, Fla. — A Florida sheriff’s deputy leapt from his patrol vehicle onto a moving 18-wheeler to save a distressed driver — all while weaving through traffic on a busy highway.
According to a Facebook post from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), Lt. Michael Bellflower was stopped at a light on June 14 along Highway 70 in Arcadia, Florida, when he noticed a cattle truck driving erratically.
Bellflower said the driver “was popping the clutch and hopping pretty bad.”
Bellflower maneuvered his patrol unit close to the slow-moving truck, then jumped on the fender and busted open the window, turning off the key while trying to guide the rig through heavy traffic.
The rig veered across the median into the westbound lanes, coming to a stop in the driveway of a business, according to the DCSO.
After the chaos ended, Bellflower realized that he knew the trucker.
“I just knew I had to help my friend. At that point, I wasn’t a cop anymore,” Bellflower told local news station NBC-2. “I can fix a couple cuts; I can’t fix losing him.”
When the driver came to, he didn’t know what had happened, said Bellflower, who suffered cuts and bruises during the ordeal.
The truck driver is reportedly recovering.
“I said, ‘I was trying to save your life, bud,’” Bellflower told NBC-2. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
The driver’s name hasn’t been released.
In the below video, Bellflower recounts his experience.
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