What in the world do a father and son do the night after their wife/mother’s funeral? It’s a horrible question to even contemplate, but one that Curtis and 17-year-old Pete Blanton had to answer. Cindy Blanton battled with resurgent cancer for 20 years before the cancer won. Her husband and her son soldiered through the funeral. After all the mourners had come and gone, the men were left with one question: “What now?”

Luckily for the Blantons they share a hobby: They like to drive aimlessly around town together while listening to their police scanner radio. Focusing on anyone’s problems besides their own probably seemed a healthy choice the day of the funeral. Curtis said, “We was just out being father and son last night and ended up being in the right place at the right time.”

As they drove and listened, the Blantons heard a brutal police chase unfold. Multiple cop cars pursued four armed robbery suspects. Then someone shouted, “Officer down.” Deputy Robert Taylor had lost control and smashed into a tree.

The Blantons listened as the dispatcher tried to reach Deputy Taylor. But despite everyone’s pleas, the missing officer didn’t answer his radio. As the seconds stretched by, Curtis and Pete realized Deputy Taylor had crashed near them. They raced to the scene of the accident, but nothing could prepare them for what they’d find.

Deputy Taylor’s Ford Police Interceptor Utility had smashed head-on into a tree. The front was crumpled. The vehicle had burst into flames. His dog barked wildly from the back. And Deputy Taylor? He lay facedown on the ground nearby, in the path of the expanding fireball, screaming for help but unable to move himself.

With the flames growing, and armed suspects on the loose, the Blantons had ample reason to sit tight and wait for reinforcements. But they couldn’t do that. Interviewed the next day, Curtis said, “We buried one yesterday and we didn’t see no need to have to bury two.”

Curtis sprinted to the scene, grabbed the officer, and said, “I got to get you away from here.” Then he began to drag the man away from the burning car. The Blantons were also able to wrestle the door open and free the trapped dog. Then things took a turn for the worse.

The Blantons heard explosions rocking the still night. Had the armed robbery suspects returned for revenge?

Then they realized the spare ammunition in the burning police cruiser was going off. They didn’t want to drag the paralyzed deputy any further than they had to. But they all risked being shot by the spare rounds. They came up with a solution: Curtis started his car again and parked it between the exploding police car and the deputy, to better shield the man.

Curtis later admitted that in the heat of the moment he didn’t “worry about the repercussions if the car blew up, or whatever happened.” He added, “We wanted him safe.”

When backup did finally arrive, the officers were grateful for the Blantons’ help. Both Deputy Taylor and his K9 unit (a German Shepherd named Thanos) survived. Deputy Taylor underwent surgery the next day. Captain Justin Etters of the sheriff’s department warns his recovery will be slow, but said his spirits are good. Captain Etters said of the Blantons: “A lot of love and respect for them. We really appreciate them and what they did.”

Curtis Blanton was humble about his hero’s thank you. “At the end of the day, that man is alive. That means more than anything out here. Him and his partner.” Cindy Blanton would certainly be proud.

You can see Curtis Blanton’s interview in the video embedded below: