DARLINGTON COUNTY, South Carolina — An off-duty corrections lieutenant stopped at a smoking tractor-trailer, ran toward the emergency after the truck exploded and coached a driver whose clothes were burning to stop, drop and roll, according to a newly published local interview.
Jessica Kisseih, 41, told WPDE reporter Tonya Brown that she was driving home from Sumter on the morning of July 15 when she smelled fuel and saw smoke coming from an 18-wheeler on Interstate 20 in Darlington County.
Truck exploded moments after both vehicles stopped
The truck pulled onto the shoulder, and Kisseih stopped too. She said the tractor-trailer exploded moments after she reached the grass.
Kisseih initially could not see anyone outside the truck. She called 911 and shouted for the driver to get out. Seconds later, she saw him emerge with flames still burning on his clothing.
She repeatedly told the driver to get on the ground and roll. When his right shoulder continued burning, she directed him to roll again until only smoke and small flames remained, according to her account.
The WPDE report says the driver is 64. Kisseih told the station that a member of his family said he remained in critical condition in an induced coma at the Augusta Burn Center when the story was published. ThinBlueNews has not independently confirmed a newer medical update.
Corrections training carried beyond the prison walls
Kisseih is a lieutenant assigned to lockup operations at Evans Correctional Institution in Bennettsville. She told WPDE that corrections officers routinely confront fires, medical emergencies and other chaotic incidents inside secure facilities, and that training helped her stay focused beside the highway.
Last week, the South Carolina Highway Patrol sent the South Carolina Department of Corrections a letter commending Kisseih’s courage and quick action, according to the local report. Corrections Director Joel Anderson also praised her quick thinking and determination to help.
Kisseih described the corrections mindset in six words: “We run through the chaos, not from it.”
WPDE’s 2-minute, 52-second local video report includes Kisseih’s interview, the viewer-submitted incident scene and the official commendation context. Video hosted by WPDE/Sinclair; embedded for source-attributed editorial reporting.
Readers can find more verified acts of service in ThinBlueNews’ police hero stories, first responder news and positive police news sections.
Source and visual attribution
- WPDE — “Corrections officer credited with helping save truck driver after fiery I-20 crash,” by Tonya Brown, published Aug. 5, 2026. The local report supplies Kisseih’s direct interview, the July 15 date and Darlington County location, her Evans Correctional assignment, the South Carolina Highway Patrol commendation, Director Joel Anderson’s statement and the latest publicly reported condition of the driver.
Visual note: The featured image uses an authentic WPDE interview frame made by Tonya Brown and an authentic viewer-submitted frame from the incident response. ThinBlueNews uses the limited, source-attributed excerpts for editorial reporting, claims no ownership, and did not generate or reenact any person, fire, crash or rescue scene.
If an agency representative, responder, family member or reader sees anything that should be corrected or updated, please contact ThinBlueNews through our corrections and editorial standards page.