A Denton County Sheriff's deputy's patrol car went up in flames after being rear-ended last Friday night, injuring one officer and an intern.
Officials said Deputy Billy Wilson, 28, and an intern, 24-year-old Kelly Fair, were at a traffic light at U.S. Highway 380 and FM 720 when struck from behind by a Ford F-150 truck.
The accident ruptured the fuel tank on the officer's 2003 Ford Crown Victoria cruiser, which soon turned the police cruiser into a fireball.
In a statement released to the press, the Denton County Sheriff's office said that the officer's vehicle had been modified by the manufacturer at the factory with plastic shields to help prevent vehicle components from puncturing the fuel tank in a crash.
All of the department's 100-plus cruisers have been retrofitted by the manufacturer to prevent fuel tank ruptures, Denton County officials said.
Both Wilson and Fair managed to escape the vehicle on the passenger side, but still suffered burns from the collision. Fair suffered first- and second-degree burns on her hands while officer Wilson suffered third-degree burns.
Deputy Tony Tullos was the first officer to arrive at the scene. Tullos' dashboard camera showed the car completely engulfed in flames and recorded the sound of ammunition from Wilson's car exploding from the intense heat.
"I was shocked, but pleasantly surprised the officer and the intern made it out of that vehicle," said Dallas Police Department Officer Glenn White. "If they had been in that car another minute both would have been burned alive."
Both were transported to Parkland Hospital in Dallas. Fair was treated and released while officer Wilson is listed in stable condition.
Fair and officer Wilson both declined to comment on the accident. Fair is a criminal justice major at Texas Woman's University and an intern at the Sheriff's Office and Wilson has been with the department since 1999.
The driver of the Ford pickup truck, 32-year-old James Patrick, Jr., was taken to Denton Regional Medical Center for blood tests. The Texas Department of Public Safety has not yet determined whether charges will be filed against Patrick.
In 2002, Dallas police officer Patrick Metzler was killed in 2002 in a very similar, fiery crash when his patrol car was struck from behind.
The city of Dallas is currently suing Ford Motor Co., and hopes to bring about changes that will improve safety.
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