Deputies Receive Life Saving Medal After Pulling Man From Burning Car

Yesterday morning in the Grand Hall of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Milton Wright and Chief Deputy Craig Brady recognized and commended Deputy Jeff Martinez and Deputy Taylor Rollins by presenting them both with a Life Saving Medal for their superior performance in saving the life of a felony suspect during the performance of their duties.

Sheriff Milton Wright and Chief Deputy Craig Brady recognized and commended Deputy Jeff Martinez and Deputy Taylor Rollins by presenting them both with a Life Saving Medal.

At 1:19 p.m. Jan. 27, a Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Deputy, driving a marked Sheriff’s Commercial Vehicle was passed by a car traveling at a high rate of speed on Harlem Rd. in Richmond.  The deputy conducted a traffic stop on the car near Harlem Rd. and the Jester One Unit.  The car came to a stop and as the deputy approached the car the driver proceeded to flee the scene. 

On several instances the driver nearly crashed into several vehicles as he continued to flee into the Pecan Grove Subdivision.  The deputy lost sight of the vehicle and shortly thereafter found the vehicle to have struck a residence, 1900 block of Rock Fence Dr., and then came to rest on an oak tree. 

 The vehicle was fully engulfed and the driver was unconscious with his clothes catching on fire.  Two Fort Bend County Deputies made numerous attempts to break the driver’s side window in order to remove the driver but were unsuccessful.  As a last resort, a deputy discharged his firearm at the window which caused it to shatter and they were then able to cut the seat belt and rescue the unconscious driver.

The driver was identified as 39-year-old David Richard Howard of the Houston area.  Howard was life-flighted to Memorial Hermann Hospital, Downtown where he remains in serious but stable condition.  This incident is an on-going investigation and it is still unknown exactly why Howard was traveling at such a high rate of speed.