JONESBORO, Ga. — The husband of a woman injured in a fiery rollover crash says the officer who came to his wife’s rescue is a hero.
Jonesboro police Officer Cornell Madison was off duty, talking to another officer at Tara Boulevard and Fayetteville Road Thursday morning when he heard a loud boom and saw Monique Smith's SUV flip three times before landing.
"It was like out of a movie," Madison told Channel 2’s Tom Jones.
Police say a driver ran a red light and T-boned Smith. She was trapped inside and her car was on fire.
While the other officer grabbed a fire extinguisher, Madison tried to open the doors. When he couldn’t get the door to open, he punched the window.
"Right dead center. I don't know what I was thinking," he said.
Once inside the car, he couldn't get Smith out so he covered Smith with his body as she choked from the smoke.
“She said to me, ‘I don’t want to die today. Don’t let me die today. Don’t let me die. I don’t want to burn up,’” Madison said.
Firefighters arrived and got Smith out of the car.
Her husband, Tracy, says bad officers have been in the news a lot lately, but "I'm here to tell you there's some good ones and I know one."
Madison says he’s no hero.
“I was just doing my job and I'll do it again tomorrow," he told Jones.
But Tracy Smith disagrees.
"I personally thanked him and I told him he's a hero," he said.
Madison broke his hand hitting the window and will be off work for a while.
Smith, who is a victims' advocate for the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office, has numerous injuries but could be moved out of intensive care soon.
Police cited the second driver for running a red light.
WSBTV
