By Matt Okarmus – Montgomery Advertiser
As Montgomery Police Cpl. David Brown continued to recover following two motor vehicle accidents in one day, footage of one of those accidents was released Tuesday.
Brown was riding a police motorcycle as part of a police escort Saturday and his motorcycle collided with a car that was making a left turn out of the procession. Then, the ambulance carrying Brown to the hospital tipped over and caught fire.
The video shows footage after the ambulance crashed and contains various law enforcement personnel assisting at the scene amid clouds of smoke.
Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said the Alabama Department of Public Safety is still investigating the circumstances of both accidents. He said the facts will speak for themselves.
Before the video was shown, Brown’s brother, Todd Brown, gave an update on his condition. He said the officer’s right leg was amputated four centimeters above his ankle, though Todd Brown said that was not unexpected considering the injuries he sustained. He said a good, serviceable place for the prostheses was found.
Brown’s jaw was fixed Monday night with a plate placed on its right side, and his brother said the teeth that were damaged could be crowned and repaired. At one point, blood was found in his brain, which caused some concern because it was not there before, but doctors were able to handle the situation, Todd Brown said.
While his right leg was severely traumatized, Brown also has bruised lungs, one of which momentarily collapsed Tuesday morning, his brother said. Brown has not regained consciousness since being admitted to the hospital and will have a feeding tube placed into his intestines.
Strange confirmed Tuesday that Brown had been thrown 120 yards from the moment of impact to the point of rest after the first accident. After showing the dashboard camera footage following the second accident, Strange said medals will be handed out at a later time for those who assisted.
A man who was in the car that collided with Brown’s motorcycle remains in the hospital. He suffered injuries to a leg as well as some internal injuries, but the injuries were not considered life-threatening, MPD spokesman Maj. Huey Thornton said.
Acting Police Chief Kevin Murphy explained the actions in the footage, including unsuccessful attempts by officers and fire medics to open the side door of the ambulance. Medics were shown using a fire extinguisher and their feet to break the windshield. They then took their shirts off and wrapped them around their hands and pulled out the rest of the windshield in order to retrieve the driver and passenger.
Detective Lauri Whatley was one of the responders on the scene. She spoke of the frustration of trying to get the medical equipment out of the ambulance with all that was going on around her.
"I wanted things to be ok," she said.
Whatley said rescue personnel would have done the same in any situation, but it is a different feeling when it’s someone you know.
Murphy said it was "quick thinking and quick action" that led to getting everyone, including Brown, out of the ambulance safely. He said everyone on the scene acted with total disregard for their own safety and none have bragged or boasted since.
"No one sees themselves as heroes," Murphy said. "I had to drag it out of them and that speaks volumes to their dedication."
