Bystanders pull Pima County sheriff's Deputy Hector J. Palomino from his burning patrol car after a crash at South La Cholla Boulevard and Ajo Way. Palomino was responding to the report of a collision, with his lights and siren activated, according to a witness, when his car was hit.

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Several bystanders rescued an unconscious Pima County sheriff's deputy from his burning patrol car Wednesday, busting windows, flipping the vehicle upright and prying open the door as they struggled to drag him to safety.

The collision occurred about 12:30 p.m. as Deputy Hector J. Palomino was responding to a reported traffic collision at West Ajo Way and South Kinney Road. Palomino was driving with his lights and siren on, according to a witness statement not yet corroborated by police, when a Ford F-150 turned into the path of his Ford Crown Victoria patrol car at Ajo and South La Cholla Boulevard, said Tucson police Sgt. Mark Robinson.

As it careened from the road, the patrol car was upended by a boulder, Robinson said. About nine bystanders who saw the collision or were drawn by the noise of the crash ran to help the deputy.

"We heard a big crash and looked and saw the cop car in midair flipping," said Micah Boivin, one of the first on scene.

Boivin and Paul Madewell, ironworkers from Safford staying at a mobile home park, and Adam Welch, who was driving at Mission and Ajo when the deputy drove past him and was about 100 yards behind when he saw the crash, all described the rescue as the quick efforts of strangers working together.

When they approached, the car was resting on the driver's side, already on fire. The rescuers broke several windows, but were unable to reach Palomino. They forced the car upright as flames whipped through the engine.

"It looked pretty bad. We didn't know if the car was going to blow up or not," Madewell said.

The fire started small but spread quickly as the rescuers worked to free Palomino. One man brought a fire extinguisher from a nearby school bus to start attacking the flames.

"I don't think any of us worried about that," Welch said. "We knew it was there and we knew we had to get him out."

Others agreed they weren't concerned for themselves because of the fire, but that it forced them to act quickly.

"I figured the good Lord would take all of us or save all of us," Madewell said. "I'm not going to watch a man burn to death."

After breaking the driver's-side window, the rescuers still couldn't pull Palomino to safety because his legs were trapped under the dash. So they pried open the driver's door, cut the seat belt and were able to drag him about 50 feet from the car. Overall the rescuers struggled for about five minutes and said Palomino was dazed but talking after the ordeal.

"When your adrenaline is pumping you can do a little more, I guess," said Boivin, looking back at the charred and smashed car. "We sure were scared for him and we knew we had to do it in a hurry. Thank God we got him out."

Palomino, a 27-year-old department veteran of four years, was flown to University Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, Robinson said. Initial reports indicate that he did not suffer burns.

The driver of the pickup, an 87-year-old man with a Colorado license plate and driver's license, was taken by ambulance to St. Mary's Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and later transferred to UMC as a precaution, Robinson said.

The collision remains under investigation and detectives are working to determine the speed of the vehicles. No citations have been issued and unless the Ford's driver is cited, his name will not be released, Robinson said.

Boivin, Madewell and Welch were all quick to dismiss any notions of heroism on their part. "We're no heroes. We're just average Joes. He would have done the same thing for any of us," Madewell said.

"None of this matters to me as much as his life," Welch said. "If it were me in there, or anyone else, he would've done the same thing."

See more dramatic photos of this daring rescue in the StarNet Editor's Blog at go.azstarnet.com/ starnetblog.