Kansas Highway Patrol trooper receives Governor’s Award for Valor

photo by: Peter Hancock

Gov. Jeff Colyer on Thursday presented Kansas Highway Patrol Technical Trooper Raul Carrillo with an Award for Valor in recognition of his actions Feb. 21 when he rescued a man from a burning truck following a rollover accident on the Kansas Turnpike in Butler County. Also pictured are Carrillo's son Esai, his wife Lydia, and daughter Aneesa.

Topeka ? A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper was presented with a Governor’s Award for Valor Thursday, recognizing him for rescuing a man from a burning semitrailer loaded with diesel fuel following a rollover accident Feb. 21 on the Kansas Turnpike in Butler County.

Technical Trooper Raul Carrillo was driving southbound on the Turnpike in his patrol car about 4:04 p.m. that day when a truck in the northbound lane ran into the center barrier wall.

Video recorded on Carrillo’s dashboard and rear window cameras show the cab of the truck crossing over the barrier, nearly colliding with Carrillo’s vehicle, and the entire truck landing on the driver’s side, pinning the driver in the vehicle.

photo by: Peter Hancock

Gov. Jeff Colyer on Thursday presented Kansas Highway Patrol Technical Trooper Raul Carrillo with an Award for Valor in recognition of his actions Feb. 21 when he rescued a man from a burning truck following a rollover accident on the Kansas Turnpike in Butler County. Also pictured are Carrillo's son Esai, his wife Lydia, and daughter Aneesa.

The video shows Carrillo backing up to return to the accident scene, then leaving his car, running to the truck and pulling the driver out to safety. The fuel tank on the cab of the truck caught fire, but the tanker of diesel fuel the truck was pulling did not.

Carrillo suffered serious burns from the incident. KHP did not identify the driver of the truck.

“Technical Trooper Carrillo acted in a truly heroic manner,” KHP Superintendent Col. Mark Bruce said in a statement. “He rose above and beyond the call of duty, risking his own life to save another, bringing great credit to the Kansas Highway Patrol and to himself.”