Orlando man reflects on fiery crash burned nearly half his body

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - This Saturday will mark one year since Brandon Dookharan's life changed forever.

"It is pretty overwhelming to me, but it's good to see how far along I came," he said Wednesday.

The memories of that night are still fresh in his mind.

"Sometimes I might dream about it, you know? Sometimes I'm in the car driving, and I might think about it," Dookharan said.

He was driving on West Colonial Drive in Orlando on Feb. 17, 2023, when he said a driver in front of him made a sudden U-turn, causing him to lose control of his car. Video from the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows the car on fire and Dookharan trapped inside.

"I need all fire extinguishers on these patrol cars. Get up here now," a deputy can be heard saying in the body-camera video.

"Half my body was out the car from the officers trying to keep me out of the flames as much as possible, but the flame was getting bigger and bigger, so it was crazy," Dookharan recalled.

Deputy Ryan Jasiecki happened to be in the area and was first on the scene.

"The fire just continued to grow and grow and grow, no matter how many extinguishers we used," he said. "I've responded to crashes where people were trapped, have responded to car fires, but never a call where they all kind of came together like that."

He and other deputies worked to keep the fire at bay until firefighters arrived. 

On Wednesday afternoon, nearly a year later, they were awarded for their life-saving efforts. 

"It's honoring. It's humbling to know that we played a part in saving an individual who is now hopefully going to go on to continue to live a normal, healthy, and happy life," Jasiecki said.

Dookharan's recovery isn't over yet, but he's made a lot of progress. His last scheduled appointment at the burn clinic is later this month.

His goal now is to find a job, one he can do indoors or at home, as the third-degree burns on nearly half of his body prevent him from being out in the sun for long.

Having his family and friends by his side keeps him going.

"All I have to say for everybody out there who gets into accidents is keep their head up," he said. "You have hope and faith that's going to be on your side all the way."

In the meantime, Dookharan says he continues to fight his hospital bill, which has exceeded $4 million. He and his lawyer are hoping to reach a settlement.

If you'd like to help Dookharan, his family created a GoFundMe to help with his immediate expenses.