A Marine “jumped into action” and helped save a driver found incapacitated at a fiery car crash in North Carolina, Oct. 28, 2025. (Bertie County Sheriff’s Office)
(Tribune News Service) — A Marine “jumped into action” and helped save a driver found incapacitated at a fiery car crash, according to investigators in eastern North Carolina.
The wreck happened on Oct. 27 east of Windsor, but the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office is only now releasing details due to not knowing the identity of the Marine.
An event is being arranged to “publicly honor” the Marine and two deputies who worked together to save the driver, the sheriff’s office said.
“Lieutenant J. Parker and Deputy E. Topliss, with the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, were en route to a call for service in Merry Hill (when) they came upon a vehicle collision on Highway 17 near the Wakelon Road exit, where the driver was ejected and the vehicle caught fire,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release
“A U.S. Marine arrived at the crash at the same time as the deputies. The U.S. Marine and the deputies jumped into action and were able to pull the driver of the vehicle to safety. The U.S. Marine used a first aid kit and began providing aid to the victim until the Bertie County EMS arrived.”
The driver was hospitalized and survived. Their identity and condition have not been released.
Eastern North Carolina is home to multiple Marine Corps facilities, including Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Marine Corps Air Station New River and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
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