HAMPTON, Illinois — Friends, family and fellow law enforcement remember Hampton Police Chief, Terry Engle after police say Engle died from injuries he sustained in a car crash Saturday night.
Illinois State Police say Engle was driving on Illinois Highway 84 in an undercover police car. They say he was responding to a call when his car veered off the road and hit a tree. Engle was brought to a local hospital where he later died.
When the crash happened, witnesses say they drove by and got out to help. Eliza Bisbee was in her home when she says she heard a "boom." She says she ran across the train tracks to where Engle's car was smoking.
"I grabbed a log and I just smashed the back window," remembers Bisbee.
She says once she broke the window, she didn't know who it was in the driver's seat. But, with her nursing experience, she was able to feel he still had a pulse.
"There was another woman that said "he's my chief" and I realized "oh gosh"," Bisbee recounts. "I saw the radio on his shoulder and I just grabbed his radio and called for help."
According to the scanner talk, Bisbee was trying to calm Engle down and let him know she was trying to help.
"We thank you for your service," said Bisbee during the call. "My name is Eliza, my hand is on your elbow Terry, I just need you to be still ... we are right here with you."
East Moline Police Chief, Jeff Ramsey, met Chief Engle 15 years ago when Engle was an officer at Blackhawk College, a position he held for 35 years. He joined the Hampton Police Department 6 years ago as the police chief.
"The dangers of this job, sometimes this is what happens," says Chief Ramsey. "He loved law enforcement, he loved helping people, he loved the relationships with the law enforcement community here."
