(Duluth, Georgia)  Three officers came together on Sunday evening to save a young man’s life.  At approximately 7pm, officers assigned to the Central Precinct were dispatched to the McDonald’s at 2101 Duluth Highway in unincorporated Duluth in reference to an accident where the victim was pinned.  According to the caller, the driver of a passenger car in the drive-thru line was pinned when his vehicle struck the side of the building. 

It is believed that the driver dropped his credit card and had leaned down to retrieve the item.  As his torso was leaning over, he pressed down on the gas pedal and his car accelerated forward.  His upper torso became pinned between the door and the car as his vehicle struck the side of the building. 

Lt. Barnhart was working a security job nearby and heard the dispatched call.  He arrived at the scene to find the driver still pinned.  He used his ASP baton to break the passenger side window.  He unlocked the door, opened it, and placed the vehicle in neutral. 

As he was doing this, Officer Shelton arrived and a bystander walked up.  Together, they pushed the vehicle backwards freeing the driver.  Officer Crown arrived as the car was being moved backward.

The driver was pulled out, and the officers immediately checked for a pulse. No pulse was found, so officers began CPR.  After several chest compressions, the driver began gasping for air.  The officers were asking him questions, but he did not respond.  The members of the Gwinnett County Fire Department arrived shortly thereafter and eventually transported the driver to the local hospital with serious injuries. 

The driver, Carlos Tuscano (age 21, Duluth), was placed on a ventilator at the hospital.  And his last update listed him in “stable” condition.  Though his long-term prognosis is still unknown, the swift action of these officers probably meant the difference between a serious injury accident versus a traffic fatality.