UT Police Department Corporal Kyle Botica was off duty and on his way to run errands the afternoon of October 21 when he drove past a burning camper trailer on Interstate 40 west near Pellissippi Parkway.

Botica stopped to help get people away from the vehicle. When one of them collapsed, Botica and others moved the man away from the fire and checked him for a pulse. After finding none, Botica and an off-duty nurse began CPR. He handled the chest compressions while the nurse checked the man’s pulse and breaths.

Once the Knoxville Fire Department and ambulance personnel arrived on the scene, they took over the care of the man and he was transported to the hospital.

Knoxville Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks later wrote UTPD to say that Botica’s actions “likely saved this person’s life,” adding that “Officer Botica went beyond the call of duty and made a difference in someone’s life.”

Botica, who was not injured, said he was grateful for the help of the nurse who assisted in caring for the man.

“I don’t know who she was because she left before I could ask her,” he said. “I wish I could thank her for her assistance, because her checking the pulse and breathing made my job much more efficient.”