Tarpon Springs sisters thank officer who crawled into overturned SUV after Thanksgiving crash
First responders honored for saving two teens
It was a special kind of reunion in Tarpon Springs when a police officer was honored by the family of two teenage girls he helped rescue. FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports.
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - A Tarpon Springs police officer is being called a hero after body camera and dash camera video captured him crawling into an overturned SUV to help two teenage sisters trapped inside following a crash on Thanksgiving morning.
The emotional rescue happened near Tarpon Springs High School, and this week, the girls and their family got the chance to thank the officer face-to-face.
What we know:
In the newly released 911 call, one of the sisters can be heard telling dispatchers, "We were just in a crash — someone ran the red light and hit us." The crash left their SUV flipped upside down, trapping Grace and Zoe Klimis inside.
Tarpon Springs Police Officer William Volker arrived at the scene and immediately got down on the ground near the overturned vehicle. Body camera and dash camera video shows Volker calling out that he had "two inside," while working to reach the girls.
At one point, glass breaks as he attempts to cut through airbags and access the trapped teenagers.
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As the video continues rolling, Volker takes off his vest and crawls through broken glass and into the flipped vehicle — staying inside with the girls to comfort them until firefighters arrived.
What they're saying:
Grace called the moment "very selfless" and "very brave," saying Volker physically got into the car to help when the girls needed it most.
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Inside the SUV, Zoe said she could hear her sister screaming her name amid the chaos.
The sisters said they were returning from grabbing a last-minute item from the grocery store Thanksgiving morning and were just down the street from their home when another driver ran a red light.
"It happened like in all of two seconds," one of the sisters said.
One of the most frightening moments, Grace said, was seeing the other pinned against the steering wheel.
"He was an answer to our prayer," said Zoe.
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The sisters and their family say Officer Volker was their hero and even an answer to prayer during the terrifying ordeal. They said he stayed calm, made them laugh, and helped them focus on something other than the fear of what was happening around them.
On Monday, the Tarpon Springs Police Department recognized Volker with an award for what they called a highly credible act in the line of duty that went above and beyond routine performance.
But for Volker, the biggest moment came afterward when the sisters and their family got to tell him thank you in person.
"It feels like such an honor that we got to come and say thank you," said Zoe.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered through interviews with two sisters and the award ceremony held on Monday.