By Jim Sterne
News Editor
District 18 Officers Peter Bates and Michael Robbins, along with Sgt. Serafini, saw a blue Chevrolet smash into a cement flower median, flip over, and begin to burn. The vehicle with two occupants was traveling east in the 500 block of North Ave. on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 1:55 a.m.
The police called the fire department and ran to the burning vehicle. Adrian Levciuc, a citizen, aided police in extricating a seven-year-old female from the rear passenger seat, passing her over to Officer Robbins who took her to safety.
Sgt. Serafina, and Officer Bates and Levciuc turned their attention to the father, Ciro Ortiz, whose feet were wedged between the brake and gas pedals of the burning vehicle. They could not free him. Both police entered the overturned vehicle. Bates crawled deep into the cramped space and freed Ortiz's feet.
Sgt. Serafina pulled hard, freeing the unconscious Ortiz and pulling him out from the rear area of the vehicle. Officers Jeffrey Kriv and Thomas Polick arrived, helping to take the victim away from the vehicle with Bates and Serafina before it was consumed in flames.
The Chicago Fire Department arrived and put out the fire. Ortiz was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and his daughter was taken to Children's Memorial Hospital. Later, Ortiz was cited for driving under the influence. |
