Bystanders Hailed as Heroes After Daring Rescue of Injured Lubbock County Deputies

On Monday, a tractor-trailer hit and badly hurt two deputies from the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office while they were helping a stuck driver on Interstate 27. The impact pinned them against the 98th Street overpass.

The Lubbock County Sheriff's Office said that deputies A. Cavazos and J. Martinez were helping a driver on the side near the overpass at 9:15 a.m. when the tractor-trailer hit their patrol car backwards. Witnesses say that one officer was left dangling from the overpass by a leg after the impact trapped him between the broken-down unit and the guardrail.

Before the first rescuers arrived, people from a nearby gas station rushed to help. Kohl Stephenson said he helped one of the cops while emergency workers freed them. "He was taking breaths." As Stephenson explained, they needed to rescue the officers who had previously helped them. Stephenson revealed that one deputy took a while to respond, but thankfully, the firefighters arrived to complete the task. 

The sheriff's office reported that they took Cavazos and Martinez to the hospital with significant injuries, but they should recover. A third individual with minor injuries also required removal.

The local officials thanked the people who had helped and called on the public to provide further assistance. According to a news release, the department is "pleading with the people of Lubbock to pray for the deputies and their families."

The Major Crash Unit of the Lubbock Police Department is still looking into what happened. Officials did not provide any additional information immediately about the tractor-trailer or the stranded car, and they also did not indicate whether tickets or charges are a possibility.

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