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United States News Title: Hero Fireman Pulls Woman from Wreckage, Saves Her Life, So a Cop Arrested Him Meansville, GA When a veteran fireman witnessed a horrific car accident, he jumped into action and did everything in his power to save the victim. But even though his actions saved a womans life, the police officer who finally made it to the scene thanked the fireman by arresting him and throwing him in jail. Rick Rickerson, 56, joined the Griffin Fire Department in 1985, and he has devoted his life to saving lives. He told 11Alive News that when he witnessed a car flipping over on the highway after its driver lost control, his immediately acted on instinct. My training pretty much kicked in as soon as I witnessed the wreck, Rickerson said. You go into the mode of firefighter when you see this happen. Many times, the worst thing you can do is nothing. The driver of the car, Rebecca Buchanan, was trapped and not breathing when Rickerson reached her. Other good Samaritans stopped their cars on the side of the highway and rushed to help Rickerson help Buchanan from her car. In addition to administering CPR to help Buchanan breathe, Rickerson also called 911 multiple times and gives the dispatcher clear and concise reports of what was happening, and how police could help. This 911? Pike County? This is Rick Rickerson, Im a retired battalion chief, Griffin Fire Department. Im on the scene of an overturned single vehicle with a single occupant, unresponsive at this time, Rickerson said on the first call. The second call was made after Rickerson cleared Buchanans airway so that she could breathe. No first responders are here yet; can you advise your officer in charge of fire responding that Rick Rickerson is on the scene and I would suggest them requesting life flight, he said. The dispatcher then relayed the news over the radio to a state trooper who responded, Im actually a trooper with the state patrol; Im in training, so Im kinda off. If you have access to life flight, I would definitely have them en route. When Georgia State Patrol trooper, Sgt. Rodney Jeter finally arrived on the scene, he seemed to care very little about the fact that there was a woman who was in desperate need of emergency medical assistance. Instead, he was more concerned about the fact that when Rickerson jumped out of his truck to save the womans life, he left it in the middle of the road with the keys in the ignition. Rickerson told 11Alive News that he remembers Jeter approaching the group working to revive Buchanan and demanding to know who owned the car. I said, Its mine, I need you to move it. And I looked over at him and I said, Im not leaving this patient, Rickerson said. The police sergeant, who apparently cared more about his bruised ego than the woman whose life was hanging by a thread, responded, Sir? I said I want this truck moved! But Rickerson argued that because there were no other emergency personnel members on the scene, he needed to stay by Buchanans side until they arrived. In his report, Jeter claimed that Rickerson was not rendering aid to the victim of the car accident at the time Jeter arrivedwhich is a conflicting story that goes against the accounts of both Rickerson and other witnesses. Jeter insisted that he asked Rickerson to move his vehicle to make room for emergency vehicles that are coming, and that Rickerson responded: Rickerson told 11Alive news that Jeter then proceeded to continue badgering Rickerson, claiming that he was a trained paramedic. And I questioned him, Youre a paramedic? You didnt put your hands on that patient. You didnt help us open that door, Rickerson said. All paramedics have vehicle extrication training. But he didnt do anything to assist us with this patient. One of the witnesses volunteered to move Rickersons truck, and first responders finally arrived and loaded Buchanan onto a stretcher. However, the comments made by other officers and sheriffs deputies on the scene were much more alarming. A Dash Cam on one of the police cruisers caught the officers discussing Rickersons conduct, and saying things such as, He thinks he knows every single thing there is to know about everything, He is a piece of shit. Hes a piece of shit, and I just hate. I hate. He is a piece. I told you there was something wrong with him. Jeter then confronted Rickerson and decided to read him the riot act about the situation. Rickerson stood his ground, and Jeter asserted his dominance by arresting the hero who had just saved a womans life for obstruction of a law enforcement officer. The officers on the scene were caught on the Dash Cam saying, Hes going for a ride, and Hes locking his ass up! Rickerson was taken to the Pike County Jail where he was forced to spend several hours waiting. He now faces the first mark on his record in more than 30 years after the incident occurred on Oct. 10, 2017. But he told 11Alive News that he would do it all over again, because in the end, Rebecca Buchanan survived, and her 5-year-old daughter did not lose her mother. Unfortunately, as The Free Thought Project has reported, Rick Rickerson is not alone. A similar incident occurred in 2003 when Capt. David Wilson, a veteran firefighter with 27 years of experience, arrived at the scene of a nasty car accident in Hazelwood, Missouri. As he was attending to the victim, he was approached by a police officer who seemed to care more about the position of the truck, than about the survivors of the crash. When Wilson ignored orders from Officer Todd Greeves to move his vehicle, Greeves became agitated and decided to take matters into his own hands. Greeves arrested the firefighter and kept him detained by a patrol car for 23 minutes until a supervisor told him to let Wilson go. Wilson filed a civil rights lawsuit and received $17,500 in damages. Then in March 2014, a volunteer fireman in New Roads, Louisiana, was rendering aid to a woman who passed out in her home. He was the first one on the scene, and when police arrived, instead of asking about the state of the patient, they demanded that the fireman move his truck. When he did not comply, the officer arrested and detained him for nearly 15 minutes. In February 2014, when Jacob Gregoire, a veteran firefighter with 12 years of experience, was responding to the scene of an accident in Chula Vista, California, he was also ordered to move his truck. Gregoire ignored the commands from a California Highway Patrolman, and he was arrested and detained on the side of the highway for 30 minutes. In response to the incident, Chula Vista Fire Chief Dave Hanneman called CHPs behavior ridiculous and the firefighters union president John Hess praised Gregoires actions. He made all firefighters look good. He was there to protect the citizens and he was willing to take a stand to do that, Hess said. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top Page Up Full Thread Page Down Bottom/Latest
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Rickerson has spent his life saving lives. Its his passion. He joined the Griffin Fire Department in August 1985 and, later, was promoted to lieutenant by then-chief Ronnie Ellis. The founder of the Firefighters Toy Drive in Griffin, Ga., was also voted as Best Fireman in 2006 for the Griffin Fire Department, by Griffin Daily News readers. More details including the crash victim's testimony here: Handcuffed hero: Good Samaritan arrested after saving womans life Sounds like a lot of cops hate fire fighters. Wonder why ?
Si vis pacem, para bellum Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Never Pick A Fight With An Old Man He Will Just Shoot You He Can't Afford To Get Hurt "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." (Will Rogers)
Maybe it's because you never hear a fire fighter whine and say he "feared for his life". It makes the cops look bad. Seems like all the cops here hated this particular guy who was just doing his job. The cops like to assert they are the ultimate authority at almost any accident or fire scene. The firefighters don't like being ordered around like flunkies.
That's exactly what it is. It's why the courts sometimes kick the cops to the curb, kick them in the teeth and otherwise neuter them with decisions. Because the truth in our country is that the judges, not the cops (and not legislators) ARE the ultimate and final authority. And just like cops, judges want to make sure that everybody - including cops - knows it. To study science is to study the hand of God. To study law is to study power.
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