Left to right -
HPD Captain Rick Bownds
Regina Fike
HPD Officer Daniel P. Fike
and Greg Walker, Esq., ARM, CPP

On June 23, 2006, at approximately 10:30 p.m., Officer Daniel Fike, who is assigned to the Airport Division, was on patrol when he noticed a suspicious male walking in the grassy area between the south ramp and south runway at Bush Intercontinental Airport.  Because of heightened security at the airport, Office Fike stopped his vehicle in the grass to investigate.  After learning that the man was a stranded traveler, Officer Fike offered to take him back to the terminal to get a taxi. 

When the officer opened the rear door of the patrol vehicle to offer the traveler a seat, he heard a loud noise from behind.  Turning to see the source of the noise, Officer Fike saw a Ford F-150 truck crossing the grass median which was approximately 50 yards in width, tumbling end over end directly towards him.  The officer quickly took hold of the traveler and pushed him away within seconds of the patrol vehicle being crushed by the truck.  The truck burst into flames upon impact.  The driver of the Ford truck was traveling northbound on John F. Kennedy and was rounding a curve when he lost control striking the curb and crossing the median.

Officer Fike checked the safety of the traveler then found the driver trapped in the now burning wreckage.  He pulled the victim from the truck and contacted the dispatcher.  Within moments, HFD had arrived at the scene to extinguish the flames and administer first aid.