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A 21-year old Tulsa man is reportedly in stable condition after a Washington County deputy pulled him to safety from a reported alcohol-fueled rollover accident Sunday morning. According to Washington County Undersheriff Steve Johnson, Deputy Carey Duniphin got to the accident quickly and pulled the man from the burning vehicle. "The driver was already out of the car when he got there. He was still in danger, but Carey got him away from the car so that he was no longer in danger from the fire," Johnson said. "Carey did really good and definitely saved him from further injury." According to reports from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the collision occurred at about 8:23 a.m., 4 miles north and 3 miles east of Copan on County Road E300 and the s curves near N. 4020 road. At that time, a 2006 Hyundai Tiburon, driven by 21-year-old Alex Solis-Rangell of Tulsa was traveling east on County Road E300, "lost control and went into a broad slide for 470 feet, struck two trees, went airborne and flipped and landed on its wheels in a creek."
The vehicle caught fire and Solis-Rangell was "unable to exit vehicle due to leg injuries" "However, a Washington County deputy arrived within minutes of the collision," the report states. According to Silver Duniphin was on the scene "just a few minutes after the initial call went out." "Dispatch advised that the reporting party to the accident was advising that the car was on fire and the driver was still inside the car. While in route, dispatch advised that the flames from the vehicle were approximately 10 feet high and the driver was still inside" he said. "When Deputy Duniphin arrived he parked and exited his vehicle. After parking on the north side of W. 300 Deputy Duniphin ran to the south side of the road and saw a white/Hispanic male on his hands and knees outside the passenger side of the burning vehicle." He say Duniphin then slid down the side of the ditch and made his way to Solis-Rangel. "Deputy Duniphin noticed that Rangel had blood coming from his mouth and was having a hard time talking leading him to believe that he had broken his jaw.
He then looked down and saw that Rangel's left leg was bent in half between his ankle and knee. Deputy Duniphin then knew his leg was obviously broken and would not be able to walk. By this time the fire had engulfed the passenger compartment of the vehicle" he said. "Deputy Duniphin then had Rangel lay on his back and grabbed him under his armpits and wrapped his arms around his chest and grabbed his wrists. He was able to drag Rangel to the east about 10 yards before he ran into downed trees and branches and had no where else to go. He pulled Rangel up on the bank out of the water as much as he could." Solis-Rangell was transported via Life Flight air ambulance to St. John's Medical Center in Tulsa, where he was admitted in stable condition with head, trunk internal and leg injuries. Troopers listed the condition of the driver at the time of the accident as "odor of alcohol present" and the cause of the accident as "speed." Other agencies responding to the accident included Bartlesville EMS, Copan Fire Department and the Dewey Fire Department.