BUTTE - Butte police officer Nick Butorovich had to act quickly last week to remove an unconscious woman trapped in her overturned vehicle that was fully engulfed in flames.
“We’re all expected to do dangerous things all the time and, you know, it’s just part of the job; it’s what we signed up for,” said Butorovich.
The young officer crawled into the burning cab and cut the seatbelt with a sharp blade to free the victim. The fire had melted part of the seatbelt causing a second-degree burn to his right hand.
“All I remember really is my actions, I don’t remember how I felt, it didn’t really matter at the time. All that mattered was that somebody was in danger,” said Butorovich.
The officer says he was in the right place at the right time.
“Don’t think I did anything that any other officer wouldn’t have done in my situation. True to believe that it would have been the same result, you could plug in any other officer from our department or, frankly, anywhere else,” Butorovich said.
Officer Butorovich may downplay his actions at that intersection the evening of the crash. The sheriff, however, doesn’t hesitate to call the young officer a hero.
“He’s in the vehicle, the seatbelt's melting, I mean, that’s how close it was. He plays it down pretty good, he’s not after recognition or anything, he just wants to go back to work — but he’s a hero,” said Lester.
The woman has been treated and released for her injuries in the crash, and the incident remains under investigation.
