he's fine. >> out of the car, riding the hood of the car. >> on the road and in danger. >> i had to take the threat out. >> high impact. >> my thought in all honesty is there's no way the person in that vehicle is alive. >> and high risk. >> i actually had thought he killed my friend. >> in law enforcement, situations can turn bad fast. >> hearing these shots, i progressively worked my way up. boom, boom, boom.

>> police must rely on training and instinct. >> at that point it was either him or us. >> it's very rare that you have a moment captured that it completely changes your life. >> "caught on camera: dash cam diaries." two officers come under fire after a traffic stop turns into a raging gunfight. >> as i was firing through my windshield, i couldn't hear any of my rounds coming out, i couldn't hear any of his rounds coming towards us. everything seemed like it was in slow motion. >> march 10th, 2013. officer brandon savage and his trainee, officer erin thomas,

are finishing up their shift in middlefield, ohio, a small charming community 45 miles east of cleveland. >> we were just driving around the village, trying to make some traffic stops. as we were heading down north state street, coming up to the intersection, i observed a green car come through the stop sign without making a complete stop. we made a u-turn in the middle of the intersection there and went after him, lights and sirens, to initiate a traffic stop on him for the violation. when the vehicle was coming to a slow stop and continued to move slowly, it did raise the hairs on the back of my neck a little bit. made me feel uneasy. before i even knew what was going to happen, i already knew the traffic stop was not going to be good. >> while officers thomas and savage are waiting to radio in the call they notice the man inside the car acting suspiciously. >> he was moving around inside of the car way too much to just be looking for his insurance information or driver's license. so i thought he was hiding

something. so sergeant savage said, get out of the car, go talk to this guy, get his information, and i'll call the stop in when radio traffic clears. >> she got out of the passenger side door, went around the back side of the vehicle, and came up on my driver's side door. as officer thomas approached my door the male got out of his vehicle, turned around and was holding an assault rifle. >> the man unloads on the officers with an ak-47. >> when he initially got out of the vehicle and started firing on us, i had one leg outside of the vehicle. and i was able to lay across the center console and hide behind the engine block. >> i ran to take cover behind the back of the car, and just as i was getting around the corner to get behind the car, that's when my hand got hit. >> when i looked down at my hand, it just looked like a pile of hamburger meat. it was nothing but blood and skin. i wasn't even really sure if my

fingers were still intact, it was hard to tell. >> the machine gun is unrelenting and officer thomas desperately tries to stay out of the line of fire. >>ly took cover behind the cruiser, i looked at my hand and i said, this is bad, this is really bad. and then i thought, well, we're in a shoot-out so i need to fire back. so i grabbed my gun and returned fire at the suspect. >> the suspect moves out into the street. savage believes he's trying to get a better angle. >> i was sitting in my front seat because the bullets were going down the side of my car. as he was moving out, i engaged him. started shooting through my front windshield. >> officer savage empties an 18-bullet clip at the shooter. but the man keeps coming. >> when you're shooting them and you're seeing the rounds hit him and he's still not going down, it definitely makes you a little nervous. when i shot my first 18 rounds and when he started coming back towards his vehicle, at that

point he slumped over a little bit. that gave me enough time to get outside of my vehicle. >> hit? >> yes! you cover, i'll call dispatch. >> i reloaded my third magazine. i saw that the suspect was not going down. >> running out of ammo, officer savage gives up the cover of the car in order to get a better shot. >> i was exposed as i was advancing towards him. he was still a threat and i had to take the threat out. i was unloading as quickly as possible, as quick as my finger could pull the trigger. at that point, i saw him fall over on the ground and drop his weapon. >> north state street just by the station! >> i made sure that the suspect was down, that he was not moving. >> as soon as the shoot-out was over, all i could hear were sirens in the background. it was the most beautiful sound i've ever heard. >> paramedics arrive on scene and rush to officer thomas.

>> the paramedic walked up to me, and she looked at me and she looked at me hand, and all she said was "oh [ bleep ]." >> keep your hand up. hold on. >> then it was just chaos after that. that's when i really started to panic. because that's when the reality of the situation really started to set in. >> officer down, officer down, send backup! >> and at the same time i'm also feeling this overwhelming sense of relief that it's over. and help is here. and it's done and we survived and he didn't. >> the suspect is later identified as 42-year-old james gilkerson. when investigators search his car they find a cache of weapons and anti-government literature. and that's not all. >> inside his trunk the suspect had pom-making materials, he had books on how to dispose of bodies, close-quarter combat.

>> despite yelling "kill me," police don't think he'd planned to committing suicide by cop, based in part on the materials found in his car. >> i think we stopped the suspect from doing something. i think he was planning on doing a lot of harm to a lot of people. >> officer thomas is treated for her gunshot wounds. her hand is so badly damaged that doctors are forced to amputate her left index finger. >> when i look down at my hand i have a constant reminder what was we went through that day. and the pain never stops. but i always remind myself that it could have been a lot worse. and that's what gets me through it. >> for officer savage, the incident leaves scars that are less visible. >> something that i deal with on a daily basis. but i feel that if i go out and do my traffic stops and talk about it and not let him beat me

by holding me back, it makes me feel a lot better and know that i can actually move on with my life and that i can conquer what happened. coming up -- >> i knew deputy griffin was right behind him as the car crashed. i actually had thought he killed my brother. >> when "caught on camera: dash cam diaries" continues.

a high-speed pursuit of a drunk driver leads to a high-impact crash. >> i was almost underneath his vehicle as his vehicle struck mine. and at that point i thought, i'm going to die. >> october 29th, 2013. milwaukee county sheriff's deputy scott griffin is on patrol in the early morning hours as part of a drunk driver task force. so far, his shift has been quiet.

that's about to change as he drives through a construction zone. >> a vehicle came at me. they were going in the wrong direction. he very quickly righted himself. i couldn't really just let that go. so i got behind him. and started a traffic stop. >> griffin makes a u-turn. he has the ford taurus in sight and tries to catch up. deputy griffin activates his emergency lights. it seems like a routine stop. but then, with dash cam rolling, deputy griffin notices something. as the car idles at a red light. >> the driver never put the car in park. i hate to use the term routine because all of these stops, they really aren't routine, every one is different. the fact that he never put the vehicle in park, that was a red flag. >> sure enough, the driver heads onto the highway and guns the accelerator. >> i kind of knew at that point that it was on, so to speak.

>> deputy griffin calls for backup and follows the suspect. >> i was attempting to maintain an appropriate safe distance. his speeds would increase and decrease. luckily there was very little traffic. >> but as the taurus speeds down the highway there's a truck ahead. >> a tanker truck. it was in the right-hand lane. and he was in the middle lane, he very quickly sped up, and then cut in front of that tanker truck to take an off-ramp. >> the chase heads off the highway and a second squad car joins in. and then a third, driven by deputy began done rios, who captures the pursuit on his dash cam. >> when they passed me when i was on the on-ramp, they were driving at a high rate of speed. the suspect car was kind of weaving between a couple different lanes. >> with speeds approaching 110 miles an hour, the officers continue the pursuit. the suspect is having trouble maintaining his lane.

the deputy thinks he may be dealing with an impaired driver. >> once you have alcohol or you have drugs in your system and you're compromised and you're driving at a high rate of speed, running from the police, that can be extremely dangerous. >> the suspect rapidly approaches a fork in the road and has a decision to make. >> the suspect vehicle was in the left lane. at the very last minute, the suspect vehicle makes a very quick right turn. unfortunately, he didn't make that. it looked like he was trying to fool us into which way he was going and ended up crashing into some barrels. >> the car went airborne. and everything kind of slowed down at that point. >> the car plows into the sand barrels. deputy griffin is too close to swerve out of the way. >> i remember seeing the suspect vehicle go airborne, and i thought in my mind, oh, [ bleep ]. and then the suspect vehicle's rear passenger side quarter panel struck the lower passenger side windshield of my squad car.

>> two cars back, deputy rios watches the crash scene unfolding in front of him. >> i knew deputy griffin was right behind him as the car crashed. i actually had thought he killed my friend. >> i remember the sound that the suspect vehicle made hitting my squad car. there was a lot of metal crunching. and a lot of auto glass breaking. there are times when that's very hard to forget. >> the violent collision sends the squad car careening into the ramp wall at almost 60 miles per hour. >> i was stunned. felt like i'd been punched in the face. >> i could see that the suspect was moving in his vehicle. he was conscious. he was uncooperative. he refused to open the door. he kept asking, what did i do? telling me he wasn't going to open the door. >> right after the crash, deputy

griffin doesn't realize the severity of his injuries. he's focused on his job. >> i was running on pure adrenaline at that point. the immediate thing was taking him into custody. so i hobbled over to deputy rios' location and i drew my weapon and pointed it at the suspect. >> since the suspect refuses to get out of his car, the deputies break his window. >> once we had the window open, i was able to pry the door open. and we had to fight with the guy to get him out of his car. >> the deputies drag the suspect out of the car. but he still won't give up. >> the adrenaline had kind of started wearing off a little bit at that point. and i had stumbled back a little bit so i wasn't really engaged. >> i told him to take a seat on the wall. and that we would handle making the arrest and taking care of the suspect. >> the suspect is led to one of the patrol cars. but continues to resist. >> [ bleep ], [ bleep ]. >> once we got him in the squad

car, he was yelling and screaming. he was completely uncooperative. >> what's your first name? >> [ bleep ], [ bleep ]. [ bleep ], [ bleep ]. >> what's going to happen -- >> shut the [ bleep ] -- i'm going to jail! >> members of the fire department showed up. he refused to answer any questions for him. >> [ bleep ] you. yeah, i'm allergic to [ bleep ] cops and [ bleep ] paramedics. >> the suspect, kevin hutchins, is taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. toxicology results show his blood alcohol level is more than twice the legal limit. and it turns out he has two prior convictions for dui. he pleads guilty to multiple charges, including recklessly endangering safety and fleeing an officer and is sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. deputy griffin is also taken to the hospital and at first doesn't believe his injuries to be that serious. >> after that night i assumed i'd be back to work within a few weeks.

but that didn't happen. >> deputy griffin has a severe concussion and spinal injuries. >> it wasn't until about probably three days after the crash, two to three days, that physically i felt like i got hit by a truck. i mean, just -- i hurt everywhere, i was in pain. >> deputy griffin is initially put on medical leave. eventually, because of his injuries, he has to retire from the department. >> the loss of deputy griffin at work right now is pretty profound. it is a sobering reality of how dangerous our jobs can be. >> when deputy griffin watches the dash cam video he's reminded of how close he came to dying. >> it's very rare that you have a moment captured that it completely changes your life. and watching it i think has helped me. because i think i probably should have died that night.

from milwaukee, wisconsin, to ft. myers, florida, another city where police are constantly on the lookout for drunk drivers. the area's beautiful waterfront and great bar scene make it an attractive spot for partygoers. officer ivan moore is a three-year member of the force and works the night shift, the primetime for catching drunk drivers. on january 4th, 2014, moorer is patrolling when he sees a car having trouble navigating. >> he was driving really slow, you know. kind of weaving in traffic a little bit. >> officer moorer follows the car and continues to observe. >> slowed down, would speed up a little bit. weave to the right, weave back onto the road. that was kind of suspicious to me. >> the driver reaches a red light and doesn't stop until he's almost in oncoming traffic.

>> at that time i felt i had enough probable cause to stop the vehicle and conduct standard field sobriety exercises. >> before officer moorer can flash his lights the car makes a right turn. but doesn't get very far. >> the driver of the vehicle ran up on the sidewalk, hit a guardrail, knocked down a bus stop sign, went up a tree, and rolled over back onto the road. >> it's hard to believe your eyes. the car slams right into the tree and flips over onto its roof. >> i didn't approach the car immediately. i didn't know what to expect. i didn't know what was coming out. i saw one passenger crawl out of the vehicle. i expected to see open containers of alcohol. i expected for him to stagger out of the vehicle. never did i expect to hear that the reason for the crash was texting.

>> it turns out the passenger who crawled out is actually the driver who isn't drunk. the 22-year-old learns the hard way what can happen when he texts his girlfriend while behind the wheel. >> he said to me that he never noticed that i was behind him. >> fortunately for the driver and the rest of the people on the road, no one is hurt. the car is a different story. >> of course he was more upset his car's totaled. for something that could have waited until he stopped somewhere or got to where he was going. >> the incident reminds officer moorer that drunk drivers aren't the only dangerous drivers he has to watch for on patrol. >> it's very scary, the similarities between someone driving while texting and someone who has been drinking and is driving while impaired. texting while driving is very dangerous. coming up -- a man who will do just about anything to elude police.

>> he's out of the car, riding the hood of the car. >> when "caught on camera: dash cam diaries" continues.

cops have heard every excuse in the book. >> i got to take a [ bleep ] bad. >> when this guy can't talk himself out of trouble he takes off, leading police on a wild chase. so wild the suspect even rides the hood of his own car. >> he was not going to stop. if he was going to do that, he was willing to do whatever it took to get away. >> february 22nd, 2010. ft. worth, texas. officer kevin bach is on patrol when he spots a hyundai elan tra with expired tags. with dash cam rolling he initiates a traffic stop. >> when i let him up, he did pull over on the entrance ramp of i-30. he pulled over right away for me. >> officer bach approaches the car. he runs the man's license and is

troubled by what he finds. >> it popped up he had a parole violation. as soon as the warrant pops up the whole -- the game changes. especially dealing with a parole violator. because he'd been out of prison two weeks and already violated his parole. it definitely escalates the intensity level of the stop. i immediately asked the dispatcher to send me an assist officer. >> when backup arrives officer bach returns to the car. >> you've got a parole vice out. >> i haven't got a parole violation out, i just got out. >> he appeared to be shocked and denied it. >> officer bach doesn't believe him and he can hardly believe what the man says next. >> can i run down the street and take a [ bleep ]? >> i can't let you go, man. >> first time in 20 years someone's asked me that, that request. >> no. >> and he wanted us to follow him up to the nearest bathroom for him to take care of his business, i guess you'd say. >> step out for me. the sooner you get out, the sooner you get down there. >> the suspect continues to plead.

then officer bach notices something. >> i see him kind of reach towards the gear shift. and just -- it happened so fast, i didn't even have time to tell him not to do it. he was sitting there begging about going to the bathroom, next thing i know he was taking off. >> the hyundai zooms ahead and pulls into traffic. officer bach gives chase. >> i think he was at that point willing to do anything to get away. because he knew he was probably going back to prison, which makes it even worse because he has nothing to lose. >> a police helicopter is deployed and a camera captures the scene from the air. >> the best about having a helicopter above is he can help clear the intersections, the helicopter can tell us traffic left or right, if we're clear, which allows it to be easier. >> the helicopter helps officer bach navigate the intersections, but anticipating the traffic on the ground presents him with another set of challenges.

>> people do different things. some stop, some go right, some go left. some stay in the same lanes. that's one of the worst things is trying to judge, what's that car going to do when we get to it? you never know. >> the pursuit covers more than 20 miles. >> good thing i got gas this morning. >> and the suspect is becoming even more brazen in his attempt to get away. >> we hope he'll pull over and stop, give up. we're not going to quit the chase. >> police departments have different policies regarding high-speed chases. officers in to tell worth can continue pursuit if they think it's safe. the suspect exits the highway. officers are still in close pursuit. >> okay, he's made a u-turn here. we're back now northbound on 377. ox, we're going to make another u-turn, go back southbound on 377.

>> soon the chase heads into a hotel parking lot. >> well, we're making our way to the parking lot here. >> as the suspect drives on the sidewalk, a pursuing unit is forced to drive backwards at one point to keep him in his sights. >> okay, we're working our way back to business 377, back toward downtown. >> up the road, the suspect encounters more heavy traffic. with little room to maneuver, the hyundai plows into the back of a stopped car. units converge on the smoking vehicle. >> okay, they got him stopped. we're at the courthouse downtown. >> the suspect is able to slip away, but it's becoming apparent the car is losing some of its horsepower. >> the car, he did cause his vehicle some damage. even though it was still running good, i think it caused enough a short time later his car finally died. >> the hyundai coasts along. the driver still refusing to stop. >> we knew the pursuit actual

part was pretty much over with because the car wasn't even running. at that point you go into another gear. you see he's trying to get ready to jump out and run on foot. >> but then the pursuit takes a startling turn. >> he's out of the car, riding the hood of the car. >> he actually climbed up on the hood of his car and was riding on the hood of his car for a short distance before jumping off. >> watch from another officer's dash cam as the suspect climbs out of the driver's seat and prepares to jump while the car is still moving. >> he actually tripped himself onto his car and then tumbles to the ground. then getting up and running down the embankment. >> he's on foot, we're running northbound. >> the chase continues on foot until the suspect trips and falls. law enforcement officers, led by officer bach and a k-9 unit, catch up with him at the bottom of the hill. >> and this is over. thief made an arrest.

>> the suspect is led away in handcuffs. when officer bach sees the dash cam video, he's amazed that the suspect, despite his hood-riding adventure, didn't hurt himself or anyone else. >> it's almost like it wasn't real. it's comical in a way to see the guy up on the hood of his own car. >> he's out of the car, riding the hood of the car. >> if it wasn't for the whole pursuit, you probably would have to laugh at the situation. coming up -- an officer and a suspect and an oncoming train. when "caught on camera: dash cam diaries" continues.

now back to "caught on camera." a high-speed chase ends abruptly when a suspect's car hits a moving train. and then another impact. >> my thought in all honesty is that there is no way that the person in that vehicle is alive. >> october 13th, 2013. lieutenant brad benson of the woods cross, utah, police department is responding to reports of a domestic disturbance. >> dispatch advised that the suspect was a female and that she was attempting to leave the residence in a black mercedes. >> benson radios for backup units and officer t.j. decarlo

of the neighboring north salt lake police department is dispatched to the scene. >> i remained in my vehicle waiting for the vehicle to pass by so i can actually get involved in the pursuit. >> the black mercedes flies by officer decarlo towards an oncoming train. >> and i was shocked, to be honest with you. seeing a train that was on the tracks halfway through its cycle and her speed was so great. i knew there was no way she could stop. >> she's going to hit a train! she just hit the train, the train hit her. >> i was totally in disbelief. i couldn't believe that a normal person would drive towards a moving train and not attempt to stop or slow down. >> when i come up over that first set of tracks and seen her car sitting on the other side of the tracks, i figured that she was either fatal or seriously injured. >> police are concerned that the suspect, if alive, could be

armed and dangerous. officer decarlo approaches with caution. >> we don't know if she's got weapons of any type. i approached her with my handgun drawn. i was unable to see or hear anything from the vehicle, obviously there's a moving train to the left of me. i had to break the back passenger window using my baton so i can get a visual. the tint was so dark on the car, i couldn't see. >> officer decarlo breaks the back window and is able to speak with the woman. the suspect is alive and unarmed. but trapped, trying to free herself from the twisted sedan. >> she was obviously in excruciating pain. her body was quite contorted in the vehicle. so just for my visual i thought she sustained horrible trauma. i asked her if she can get out the passenger door. she said she wasn't sure. >> a few seconds later, lieutenant benson approaches the car. >> as i'm trying to get to the vehicle and assist corporal decarlo, you know that there was a train horn. i initially associated that horn

with the train that she had already hit. >> but the noise is getting louder. >> and i just happened to look back to the north. and there was a train that was right on top of us. >> while i was engaging with the suspect the train to the left of me is still passing by. i never thought or knew another train was barreling down the tracks behind us. >> lieutenant benson tries to get officer decarlo's attention. >> i yelled at him two or three times. it was hard for him to hear me over the train horn. >> and i saw his hand gestures which i wasn't sure what he's saying. he was speaking. with the noise of the train, i couldn't understand what he was saying to me. i then observed out of the corner of my eye another train coming up behind me. >> by the time he sees the speeding locomotive, it is right on top of him. >> when i realize the train was coming up behind me, i didn't have time to even have that "oh no" moment. it just happened so fast.

>> watch again as officer decarlo gets out of the way right before the yellow locomotive slams into the car. with the woman still inside. >> i'm watching the train it seemed like in slow motion push this car like a toy down the track. as a police officer, we're there to help people. regardless if they've done something good or bad, i'm still there to make sure she's okay. so i felt kind of helpless once the other train hit her. >> hearing that combination of the horn and the brakes on the train squeaking and the metal being crushed, basically my heart stopped. because i was convinced that we was going to find her dead. >> the train slows as the emergency brakes kick in. and when officer decarlo heads down the track, he is shocked by what he finds. >> to see that she was still alive was a miracle, to be honest with you. i thought by the second time that there's no way that a person could sustain these two horrible collisions and walk away.

she's very, very lucky to be alive. >> and so is officer decarlo. >> teamwork in law enforcement is key. lieutenant benson works for the woods cross police department, i work for the north salt lake police department. but regardless what agency we work for, we're partners for each other and we look out for each other. and end of the day, we want to make sure we all get home to our families. coming up -- a gun battle. at 100 miles an hour. >> i knew that it only ended two ways. one, he'd wreck out and survive, or two, he'd be shot and killed. >> when "caught on camera: dash cam diaries" continues.

a high-speed chase. under fire. >> he's firing. >> once he started firing upon me, i knew that it would only end in two ways. one, he'd wreck out and survive. or two, he'd be shot and killed. >> april 26th, 2009. mobile, alabama. sheriff's deputies john mcclain and john cassidy are in pursuit of william o'dell wood, a man suspected of shooting his estranged wife and murdering her family the previous night. they join a handful of other law enforcement officers already chasing the suspect's chevy blazer. because he works undercover, deputy cassidy's face and voice are masked for this interview. >> when the suspect passed us, there was probably about six unmarked vehicles behind him, including the mobile or cottage unit along with u.s. marshals. i remember asking the question,

document me to take the lead? he said, yeah, take the lead, we're the marked unit, let's go. >> take the lead? >> yeah, take the [ bleep ] lead. >> that's all i needed to hear from that point on. >> this suspect had no points, no limits. he didn't care about anybody. he did everything in the world he could to get away from us. >> you can't see it in the dash cam video but the officer spots something that raises the stakes. >> he's picked up a rifle or something. >> when i saw the suspect pick up the rifle, my worst fears had come true. this is about to go bad. >> stand by, stand by. he's firing. >> speeding down the highway, the suspect blasts out his back window and hits the top of the cruiser's windshield. >> me being cap at any obvious i said, hey, he's firing at us. which i don't know why i said that because deputy mcclain was in the car with me, he knew he was firing at us. at that point in time dep mcclain retrieved our assault rifle and charged around and told me, i need you to get us closer.

>> as the deputies wait for traffic to clear, deputy mcclain readies his assault rifle. >> anybody knows you don't take a pistol to a gunfight, you bring a rifle. at that point, doing 80 to 100 miles an hour, i knew i had to have a rifle to make the correct shots. >> cassidy pulls behind the the blazer to give mcclain a clear shot. instead of trying to position the gun out the window, his plan is to use the high-powered rifle to shoot through the windshield. >> strategy was to start putting rounds into his vehicle, maybe not even hitting him, but getting his attention so it would distract him from firing. >> inside the police car, the noise of mcclain shooting through the windshield is deafening. >> when deputy mcclain fired the first round inside the vehicle, the intensity of it being enclosed was worse than any rock concert that i've ever been to.

every round that he fired was actually bouncing off the passenger side window and then the hot brass was going down and hitting me in the neck. >> at that time i started firing in the back lower part of the vehicle. and worked my way up. >> but the move also puts the cruiser back in the line of fire. >> i had enough faith in deputy mcclain that i knew if i gave him a stable shooting platform, that there was no way we were going to lose the battle. >> the suspect fires back, hitting the undercarriage of the cruiser. but deputy cassidy doesn't try to avoid the shots. >> never hesitated whatsoever, just kept the vehicle at a proper speed and allowed me to make the shot. >> mcclain and the suspect continue to exchange fire. >> we were so close, i actually watched the suspect turn in the driver's seat holding a pistol and fired rapid fire at us.

that's when deputy mcclain dialed in on the suspect. >> i knew at that point, stop shooting into the vehicle, focus and kill him quick. hearing these shots, i progressively worked my way up. boom, boom, boom. kept continuing up until the last few rounds. at that time i could realize that i was hitting around the headrest. >> mac chain's final shots hit the suspect and the blazer veers into the guardrail. >> when he bounces off, you can actually see his body go limp. i actually watched the suspect roll to the right, almost laying over into the passenger seat, and the vehicle bounces off and continues due to the momentum, continues to go. >> the chase comes to an end. and other units converge on the blazer. not knowing if the suspect is dead or alive. >> checked real quick for a pulse on the neck.

no pulse. he was deceased at that time. >> after the harrowing chase, both deputies are cited for their briefry. sam cochran is the sheriff of mobile county. >> it was very important for them to be recognized not only by the sheriff's office but by our community, because i think in this situation, clearly without the outcome, we may never know what would have happened were it not for the bravery of these two deputies and their cool performance under pressure. coming up -- don't get too close. when "caught on camera: dash cam diaries" continues.

first responders inspecting a smoking manhole have no idea what's about to happen.

>> i never pictured the situation having this outcome. >> april 22nd, 2012. yorba linda, california. police department officers jeremy su and jason wombach have witnessed an explosion in a manhole. >> we were sitting at a nearby parking lot right down the street, basically. and officer wombach heard an explosion. as we approached the manhole we saw that the cover said "edison" on it. we called out for orange county fire authority to come out and respond. >> a few minutes later the fire department arrives, led by captain dave wolf. >> we got on scene, we put our safety equipment on we saw a manhole cover that had been blown off prior to our arrival. we had some smoke coming out of the manhole. it seemed like a pretty cut and dried routine call. >> captain wolf and his team, engineer ken buchanan, firefighter cameron boyle, look for the source of the smoke.

>> we really can't identify what is on fire. it kind of seems like it's down underneath the manhole. >> captain wolf and firefighter boyle lean in for a closer look. >> i turn on my flashlight to see anything down there that's burning. and that's when it exploded. it was just a bright flash that came up. it almost felt like a wave. and it kind of brought my arms up. and spun me around. >> the explosion knocks captain wolf back. >> all's i remember is just a noise and then a ringing. and bright light, electrical smell kind of thing. >> i woke up in the bushes and i remember the first thing i did was i checked because my face was on fire and it felt like my hands were burnt. first thing i did was make sure i have fingers left. >> they still don't know what's burning.

but they rush to captain wolf's aid. as they pass the manhole -- >> the hole went off again. >> watch as the force of the blast barely misses hitting officer wombach in the face. unfazed, firefighter boyle finds a stunned captain wolf. >> i was so dazed and confused trying to come -- what happened? and the percussive -- my head from the ringing. it was a headache times ten that i've ever had in my life. >> the captain is pulled away. but whatever is going on underground is still a threat. the manhole erupts again. everyone makes it safely away before the last blast. >> it was such a rush with everything going on. it happened so quickly. that you didn't really have time to think. you're just trying to get the firefighter out of there.

>> when gas workers arrive on the scene, officer su learns the cause of the explosions. >> i spoke to the edison supervisor and he said there's a type of short that had happened down in the vault. so what was going on was the main power was sending surges, test surges, to the lines and that was causing the explosions. >> the vault is an underground box that houses electrical equipment. captain wolf and firefighter boyle are transported to the hospital and treated for first and second-degree burns to their heads and hands. within a few weeks, they are back to work. >> if we weren't using protective gear we would have injured a lot more. the burns probably would have a lot worse to the rest of our body. >> a lot of edison guys have even said, we don't know how you're alive right now. >> you have to expect the unexpected. this was definitely the unexpected for us.

a state trooper gets more than he bargains for when he helps a motorist on the side of the highway. >> oh! >> not only are we a considerable distance from a hospital, but we were a significant distance from civilization. >> july 17th, 2012. wendover, utah. state trooper caid brenchley is about to start his shift when a call comes over his radio. >> dispatch immediately advised me of a woman in labor with twins. >> he's got a lot of ground to cover. sergeant brenchley has to race 22 miles to the scene. >> it was important for me to get there quickly due to the fact that i was going to be the first person with any kind of emergency or medical training. from the nearest hospital, we were approximately 90 miles if not a little more. >> with dash cam rolling he pulls up behind the car and finds the parents in the the front seat holding the first baby.

>> all out? >> just one. >> especially understanding that the first baby had been born already, i knew that it was definitely up to me. >> ma'am, i'm going to go get my first aid kit, okay? you may have to go ahead and push, okay? >> i can't, it hurts so much, aahh! >> i said, well, it's going to happen now. so let's get the baby out. >> with sergeant brenchley ready to catch, the woman gives another push. >> aahhh! >> and she screamed a couple of times when contractions hit. >> aahh! >> but to be quite honest, when the actual contraction that pushed the baby out came, she didn't make too much noise. and i looked down and i said, oh, here she comes. when she finally gave bird, i -- birth, i was a little nervous. the baby didn't cry immediately. her eyes were open.

immediately at that point a small breeze came which went right up her back. as soon as that wind went up her back she gave a little shiver and a good, healthy cry. >> i know it's freezing cold, i know. oh, good, good. >> sergeant brenchley clears the baby's airway and hands her to her mother. >> good job, mom. >> and then we just waited and medical showed up approximately ten minutes after delivery. >> mother and babies are transported by helicopter to the nearest hospital. despite his quick thinking under pressure, sergeant brenchley doesn't consider what he did to be heroic. >> i think the true hero, without sounding cliche, is the mother for giving birth to twins on the side of the road in a honda accord, and especially for giving birth to the second baby with the first baby in her arms. it was pretty impressive. pretty heroic.