Security officer helps two children escape fire after deadly crash
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. December 20 2022– A fiery crash in Clayton County over the weekend left one person dead and 10 others seriously injured.
Two of the victims in that crash were children and several bystanders on scene helped get them to safety.
“What I saw was people needed help,” security officer Chase Balkcom said.
Balkcom said he narrowly missed being the victim of the deadly crash on Tara Boulevard on Saturday morning, but that didn’t stop him from pulling over to check on drivers of the four cars involved after what he described as an “explosion” of car parts that ended with a Mercury sedan in flames.
“I looked in my rearview mirror and the truck that was behind me…I seen a Mercury plow into it. The Mercury went up almost 90 degrees,” he recalled. “The car was so filled with smoke and fire that you couldn’t see nothing inside.”
Balkcom said he immediately jumped into action when he saw a man bleeding from his head and a mangled carseat inside the burning car.
“I noticed the little baby’s arms and legs coming out, so I’m trying to get everybody to assess the situation and start getting people to grab fire extinguishers,” he said.
He helped pull them both out, but seconds later realized there was another small child trapped inside.
“I stick my head in and I hear a little boy crying…it wasn’t even a question when I saw that little boy in there, I had to get in there…I had to get in there and help get him out.”
Balkcom said he managed to get the door open while another person pulled the boy out of the smoke. Though he had to be treated for smoke inhalation, he said he did what any good-hearted person would do.
Saddened to learn that one driver passed away, Balkcom said he hopes others will be more careful out on the roads—especially with the holidays swiftly approaching.
There’s been no update on the condition of those hospitalized. Clayton County police have not released any additional details about the deceased driver. The investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
