Dramatic rescue caught on police dashboard camera

TITUSVILLE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - It was a terrifying sight as officers with the Titusville Police Department arrived at the scene of a fiery single-car Thursday night.

The officers were able to pull the driver of the car, Phillip Thistle, 44, of New Jersey, away from wreckage as the vehicle exploded and became engulfed in flames.  

The rescue was captured on the dashboard camera of a patrol car. 

The crash happened around 9 p.m. near the 6700 block of Riveredge Drive.  According to police, Thistle was traveling northbound on Washington Avenue and veered onto Riveredge Drive at a high rate of speed. He crashed a rental Toyota RAV 4 into a concrete barrier at the north end of Riveredge Drive.

The vehicle rolled several times, but Thistle -- the only occupant -- managed to crawl a few feet away from the car before collapsing. 

Thistle was taken to a local hospital, then transported by helicopter with serious injuries to a trauma center.