Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were called to 1000 block of Leggett Road at approximately 8:45 a.m. this morning on a single vehicle crash. When officers arrived on the scene, they found that the driver of the 2008 Ridgeline Honda truck had been removed from the burning vehicle. Two male parties, one identified as David Cruz, were putting water on the burns the victim sustained before being removed from the vehicle.

The victim, identified as Melinda Lindkvist age 37 told investigators she was traveling east down Leggett Road when a deer ran into her path. She swerved to avoid the deer, striking the guardrail. The preliminary investigation did show liquid spatters on the guardrail that smelled of gasoline. She was airlifted to Erlanger Medical Center by Lifeforce helicopter but has since been transferred to Vanderbilt Medical Center where she will undergo treatment for her burns.

The quick thinking and actions taken by David Cruz, (who works as a security guard for the Federal Emergency Management operations in Graysville, Tennessee) saved the victims life, as she would not have survived the crash and resulting fire without his assistance.