Dramatic Video.
A California police officer hauled a disoriented woman out of a burning car with seconds to spare, in a dramatic late-night rescue captured on his body camera.
Written content from Josh K. Elliott via Global News
The crash and the rescue played out late on Saturday, Oct. 17, off the I-80 highway near Davis, Calif., according to police. It’s unclear how the crash happened, but Davis police showed up to find the mangled and overturned car burning in a field beside the highway.
Police Cpl. Pheng Ly says witnesses had stopped to help with the crash, but none of them appeared willing to brave the flames.
“The Good Samaritans weren’t going to go in because of how dangerous and volatile the situation was, and I understand that,” he told CBS Sacramento.
“I realized her life was dependent upon my actions in the next 30-60 seconds and I needed to do something right away.”
Ly’s bodycam video shows the burning car as he runs toward it and calls out to see who is inside.
“Is anybody in there?” he shouts in the video.
A woman can be heard screaming, and Ly and his fellow officer quickly determine that she is alone.
Ly crouches beside the car’s broken window and tells the woman to crawl out.
“Come out, hurry up!” he says.
She flings an arm out and says “I am, I’m coming,” in a slurred voice.
“Get out now! Hurry! Get out of the car!” Ly shouts.
Ly later told CBS Sacramento that he knew he was in a precarious situation.
“I could feel the heat of the fire on the right side my face,” he said.
“I told myself I was not going to fail this woman. I was going to get her out of that car no matter what.” Read more from Global News
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