Alabama police officer gives his life during heroic rescue of two girls trapped in car

Lt. Richard Woods passed away March 17th, 2015

PELL CITY, Ala. — Pell City Police Department Lieutenant Richard Woods passed away of an apparent heart attack during a dramatic and heroic rescue last week.

Two teenaged girls were on their way to Soccer practice when they collided with a utility truck, sending the car into a ravine, pinned underneath the truck.

Lt. Woods was the first on the scene. Once he determined the girls were trapped, he called for an ambulance, a wrecker, and additional rescue workers.

“He just took charge,” said Pell City Police Corporal Jessie Burgos, who was one of the next officers on the scene. “He went down and said, ‘We have two girls entrapped in the car.’ The car was really mangled up and we couldn’t open the doors. The faster we got the wrecker there, the faster we could get the cars apart. Time is valuable. He knew what to do.”

Woods was able to pull the passenger, a 15 year-old, out of the mangled car, but was unable to remove the 16 year-old driver, who had sustained serious injuries, including a broken pelvis and numerous cuts and bruises.

“We were looking around making sure we didn’t have fuel leaking,” Cpl. Burgos said. “He helped cut the whole top half of the car off. We were scared that the remaining airbags would deploy and hurt them worse. He was putting it where it needed to be so they did not set off the right-side airbags that didn’t go off yet. I’ve worked in a body shop. The computer knows which airbags to set off. On the passenger side, the whole side airbag on the right side hadn’t gone off.”

The exertion and unseasonably warm day took their toll on Lt. Woods, who was reportedly recovering from pneumonia and a sinus infection. He began clutching his chest while assisting the firefighters on the scene.

A paramedic began attending to Lt. Woods, who still insisted they pay attention to the still-trapped driver. “He still turned and looked at the car, and told us to go help the girls,” Cpl. Burgos said. “Even to his last breath, he was concerned about the girls in that car.”

Lt. Woods was a 20-year law enforcement veteran, and had served as a paramedic prior to that.

“He was extraordinarily dedicated to the job,” said Pell City Sergeant Don Newton. “He had a unique ability that when he arrested people, they respected him. He treated people with professionalism and courtesy. He mentored other officers.”

Lt. Richard Woods is survived by his wife, Susan, two sons, Cody and Jacob, and his K9 service dog, Johnny. He was 48 years old.
(H/T AL.com)