Griffin officers hailed for bravery after rescuing woman from tornado-ravaged home

Channel 2 Action News got a first look Thursday of a dramatic police rescue as officers rescued a woman, pulling her out of a home demolished by a tornado.

It happened in Griffin during the outbreak of tornados in January. Now, those officers are being praised for their heroism.

For Sgt. Adam Trammell and Officer Nich Hoard, Jan. 12 began like any other normal day. That was until tornadoes tore through Georgia.

The officers rushed to a home crushed by trees. Neighbors told them, they believed a woman was trapped inside.

Hoard, wearing a body camera, climbed through a window into the collapsed home.

That is when he told Channel 2′s Tom Regan that he heard the woman, buried in debris, calling for help.

“Hey ma’am, can you hear me? Keeping talkin to me. I’m going to find a way to get you out,” Hoard can be heard saying on the body cam video.

“To hear her calling for help, knowing I can get the opportunity to get her out of there, I wasn’t going to leave without her,” Hoard told Regan.

Hoard and his partner foraged a path through the wrecked home, slowly pushing their way toward the woman, mindful that more of the structure could crumble.

“We were worried the way the house, that anytime could have fallen on us and trapped us too,” Trammell said.

Hoard finally spotted the woman, who was pinned to her sofa under part of the roof. He inched closer, working on an escape strategy.

“There’s a little ledge, but if I move it, you think you can crawl?” Hoard said the woman on the body cam video.

“Yes, I can,” the woman said.

Using Trammell’s pocketknife, he cut and pulled the cushion of the couch, giving the woman the space to escape.

“We got the cushion, she’s able to slide,” Hoard said.

Moments later, they pulled the woman through the window and carried her to safety.

The police chief praised his officers for their guts and determination.

“It was pretty amazing. The guys didn’t have any fear, they went right into that structure that might have put them at risk,” Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates said.

“That was such a relief to get her out of the house, safe, alive, no one injured,” Hoard said.

“It was a good feeling. She and her family were, ‘Thank you, thank you.’ They were ecstatic,” Trammell said.

The police chief told Regan this was one of several rescues made that day. But it was also the most challenging.