Police officer, two good Samaritans, rescue driver from burning vehicle after fiery multi-vehicle Bristol County highway crash

EASTON — An Easton Police Officer and two good Samaritans rescued a driver from a burning vehicle Friday morning following a multi-vehicle crash.

According to police, at approximately 2:15 a.m., Easton Police responded to a three-vehicle crash in the area of 537 Turnpike St. (Route 138).

The first officer to arrive, Patrol Officer Dean Soucie, encountered two vehicles engulfed in flames. Bystanders alerted Officer Soucie that an individual was trapped inside one of the vehicles.

With assistance from two bystanders, Officer Soucie broke the driver’s side window, accessed the trapped driver, and successfully removed the individual from the vehicle, carrying him to safety.

The initial investigation indicates an unoccupied 1993 Mack dump truck was disabled on the roadside of the southbound lane. A 2013 Ford F-350 traveling southbound on Turnpike Street struck the rear of the disabled Mack truck, trapping the pickup’s driver, who was the sole occupant.

A third vehicle, a 2024 Toyota Camry, then collided with the rear of the F-350 and immediately caught fire. The driver and sole occupant of the Camry was able to exit the vehicle without injury.

The operator of the Ford F-350, a 78-year-old Raynham man, was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with injuries that appeared serious but non-life-threatening.

Turnpike Street remained closed for several hours while an on-scene investigation was conducted.

The crash remains under investigation by the Easton Police Detective and Patrol Divisions.