Good Samaritans Likely 'Saved' Officer's Life Whose Car Flipped
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Police Department publicly thanked nearly a dozen citizens Tuesday for coming to the aid of an officer whose patrol car flipped off a bridge and into a creek.
Senior Corporal Dale Ordogne's injuries are much worse than previously reported. He remains hospitalized with punctured lungs, broken ribs, broken teeth, a broken clavicle and a ruptured ear drum. But Ordogne is conscious and expressing his gratitude to citizens who department officials said may have saved his life.
"He's banged up and in a lot of pain but overall he's in good spirits," said Deputy Chief Martinez Tuesday afternoon during a press conference.
Video (see above) shows the moments after Ordogne's patrol car flipped off the bridge at Kiest and Westmoreland. A group of Good Samaritans put some muscle to his cruiser, rolling it so that they could rescue him.
"We know them moving him could have caused... you obviously don't want to move him when he's injured like that but the decision was made because the smoke-filled in the car it was better to get him out. To me the greatest difference was we could've lost another officer at Southwest yesterday," said Martinez.
Ordogne was taken to a hospital where he remains today with multiple broken bones.
Detectives are still working to find the driver of a stolen truck and four to six occupants who caused the wreck and fled the scene.
The vehicle is descibed as a 2007 White Chevrolet pickup, with Texas tag HHK1551.
Anyone with information about the incident should call the DPD Vehicle Crimes Unit at 214.670.5817.