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Sheriff's Officers Rescue Man From Fiery Crash On I-80

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two Cook County Sheriff's police officers were being hailed as heroes Wednesday, after pulling a driver from a burning car overnight on Interstate 80 near Hazel Crest.

Shortly before 2 a.m., the driver of a four-door Chevy was heading east on I-80, near the Interstate 57 junction, when he lost control of the vehicle. The driver said he swerved to avoid hitting a coyote, and crashed through a guardrail.

Cook County Sheriff's Police Officer William Hoefler said he and his rookie partner, Viktor Yatsyk, were on routine patrol when they saw the car off the side of the road and ran up to it. They noticed the engine was on fire.

"I asked him to get out of the car. He said that he couldn't. I told him it was on fire. He said that the doors weren't working. He couldn't unlock them. He couldn't open them," Hoefler said.

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The officers broke the rear driver's side window, opened the door, and pulled the driver to safety through the back seat.

"It feels good. I mean, I'm glad that he's safe. I'm glad that he's healthy, and it's good anytime that you can help somebody out," he said.

Hoefler said the 18-year-old driver didn't say much after being removed from the car, shortly before it burst into flames.

"He was just kind of dazed," he said. "He just made comments about being sad that the car was damaged."

The victim was taken to Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, where he was treated and released.

Sources said alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the crash.

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