South Carolina deputy rescues woman from burning car on I-77
A deputy broke a window, cut a seatbelt and pulled Carlette Bush from a burning wreck on I-77 before flames spread. Bush had been driving to celebrate finishing breast-cancer radiation.
A South Carolina deputy sprinted to an overturned car on Interstate 77, broke a window and pulled Carlette Bush to safety moments before the fire worsened. The body-camera video shows how quickly a rainy crash near Richburg turned into a life-or-death rescue.
The Chester County Sheriff’s Office said Patrol Deputy Daniel Threatt responded to a single-car crash on Saturday, May 23, 2026, near mile marker 62 and Old Richburg Road in Richburg. When he arrived, the vehicle was overturned and partially on fire, with Bush trapped inside after losing control on a wet stretch of I-77 near Exit 62, hitting a guardrail, rolling and blacking out. As she regained consciousness, the car was burning around her.
Threatt ran toward the vehicle, shouted for Bush to crawl toward him, broke a window and cut her seatbelt before dragging her from the wreck. The sequence mattered: every second bought by the deputy kept Bush ahead of the flames and away from a fully involved fire that could have made escape impossible. The sheriff’s office released the body-camera footage and praised Threatt for his selfless service, quick thinking and bravery.
Bush had been driving from Georgia to Charlotte to celebrate a major milestone, finishing radiation treatment for breast cancer. She later said she considers Threatt her “guardian angel” and believes the Lord placed him there at the right time. Bush has since returned to Georgia to continue cancer treatment and is recovering from a broken collarbone.
The response also drew on additional help from the York County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, crisis negotiators and the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force. That multi-agency presence underscores how roadside emergencies can require more than a single rescue, especially when a crash scene is unstable and fire is involved.
Beyond the dramatic save, the video offers a reminder of how fast a rollover on a rainy interstate can turn deadly. An overturned car, fuel, heat and trapped occupants create a narrow window for action, and Threatt’s response shows the value of decisive, practiced intervention when seconds separate rescue from tragedy.
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