PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Body camera footage, incident reports and 911 call recordings obtained by 13News Now acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) uncover new details about a fiery crash in Portsmouth on the afternoon of Jan. 17.
Calvin Harris of Portsmouth, the driver trapped inside the SUV, was burned on 20% of his body. While he's healing quicker than doctors expected, he's got a long recovery ahead – especially gaining mobility back in his fingers.
Dash and body-worn camera footage showed Portsmouth police officers and at least one sheriff's deputy arriving shortly before 12:30 p.m. Members of Portsmouth Fire Rescue & Emergency Services got to the scene a couple of minutes later.
The SUV went up in smoke after crashing into a USPS van near the corner of Lincoln and Effingham Streets.
"His car is smoking. The car looks like it's about to blow up, ma'am, honestly," the postal carrier told a 911 dispatcher.
In a police report, a Portsmouth officer wrote the SUV "came to a rest on a fire hydrant."
"The gear selector was in the drive position and the tire[s] were spinning and continued to spin," the Portsmouth officer went onto say.
Bystanders reported seeing the SUV pinned, still in drive.
"I can hear the tires slapping now. I'm guessing they're incapacitated," a witness said to another 911 dispatcher.
"The victim suffered a medical emergency causing him to lose control of his vehicle striking another vehicle and getting pinned on a fire hydrant," a Portsmouth police spokeswoman previously told 13News Now.
Harris has no memory of the crash.
"I just woke up, burnt up in the hospital," he said. "I'm OK. I'm OK. Well, I will be OK."
Harris is currently in occupational therapy.
"I'll never be the same. Probably won't be able to play football no more. Probably won't be able to work for a good three or four months. So, that'll be hard," he said.
Finances are tough for the family right now, but they're grateful for everyone showing support.
Police body-cam videos obtained by 13News Now show several unsuccessful attempts by first responders to get Harris out of the driver's seat.
For minutes, they sporadically tried with their hands or tools
"As much as we see they're trying, they're so many people not trying. That's what I gather," said Amber Harris, Calvin's wife.
A post-incident analysis from Portsmouth Fire Rescue said efforts were "made difficult due to fuel leaking from the vehicle." The fire reignited multiple times during the response.
Firefighters also said an anti-theft feature prevented the SUV's doors from unlocking.
The videos provided don't show the exact moment Harris was pulled from the car. However, an accident report put extrication at 12:41 p.m., a little more than 10 minutes after the first set of crews arrived.
While Calvin said he didn't have anything bad to say about anybody, he couldn't help but wonder if more could've been done.
"I'm in shock," Calvin told 13News Now after viewing the body-cam footage.
Members of Portsmouth Fire Rescue haven't responded to requests for interviews, following the completion of their after-action review.
Their findings showed "fire attack and rescue operations both went well," which is something Amber rejected.
"This did not go well," she said.
One firefighter was hurt during the response, a post-incident analysis also said.
Additionally, crews found close to 40 gallons of gasoline leaked from the SUV's fuel tank. They said most of it went down the storm drain.
State environmental officials also responded.
Representatives for the Portsmouth Police Department haven't responded to an interview request either on Monday.