PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Portsmouth man trapped in his SUV suffers serious burns to his upper body, according to family. The crash he was involved in sparked flames near Lincoln and Effingham Streets on January 17.
The driver of the SUV, identified by family as Calvin Harris of Portsmouth, is awake and recovering at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
During an interview with 13News Now on Monday morning, Calvin's wife, Amber, said she thinks emergency responders could've done more to rescue her husband sooner.
On Friday, 13News Now reported Portsmouth firefighters are working on an after-action review of the incident.
And over the weekend, a spokeswoman for the Portsmouth Police Department said the victim — now identified as Harris — had a medical emergency, and crashed into another car and a fire hydrant.
His foot stayed on the gas pedal, causing the tires to burn and catch on fire, the spokeswoman added.
A video circulating on Instagram shows Portsmouth law enforcement officers trying to pull someone out of a burning SUV multiple times. Firefighters arrived and doused the flames.
In a span of nearly three minutes captured on camera, the driver remained trapped in the SUV.
He was stuck in the vehicle for a longer amount of time, but it wasn't clear exactly how long. The witness video posted on Instagram did not capture the driver's extraction from the car, as it only lasted a little under three minutes.
"Calvin was affected by a lot of burns," Amber said.
Doctors estimated 20% of the burns on Calvin's upper body, including his arms and hands.
"It's a procedure and waiting game, at this point," Amber said.
Amber called her husband a hardworking father and family man with a passion for football.
"It's just, it's hard. And it's going to continue to be hard until he fully recovers. Hopefully, he does fully recover," Amber added.
13News Now has interviewed Calvin in the past, after someone killed his younger brother Malik and two other people in Downtown Norfolk in March 2022.
As the family copes with the latest tragedy, Amber said Calvin has proven to be strong and in good spirits.
"I need him to smile when he comes home and I need him to be home," said Amber.
She said she's watched some pieces of the witness videos, which show parts of the emergency response.
"I didn't watch a lot, I couldn't, but what I did see, I'm devastated," said Amber. ""What I see is they did not do enough. If they know they didn't do enough and if they know they did something wrong, then they should come forward."
On Monday, the Portsmouth Police Chief spoke up about the crash through the following statement.
"It's unfortunate that the victim was involved in the accident, and I hope for a speedy recovery. There were numerous factors that contributed to the situation and the ongoing burning of the vehicle presented a challenge for all involved during the rescue attempt. As a Police Department and part of the public safety for our city, we are committed to providing assistance to our citizens in their time of need. The incident is being reviewed as stated previously and an update will be provided jointly."
It's not yet clear when the after-action review will be completed and publicly released.
The Harris family also said Calvin's recovery is expected to take a financial toll. He didn't have health insurance at the time of the crash, and he had just landed a job.
If you'd like to help the family, here is a link to a GoFundMe organized by a relative.