An officer in Beaverton, Oregon, selflessly put himself in harm’s way to save a driver trapped inside a car that was engulfed in flames after a rollover crash on August 30.
The Beaverton Police Department said that the officer disregarded his own safety to save the driver from the burning vehicle. The driver had been involved in a crash that occurred at around 2:30 a.m. near the intersection of Southwest Hocken Avenue and Southwest Jenkins Road.
Washington County sheriff’s deputies were the first to respond. They found the car flipped on its side and on fire. Beaverton officers arrived on the scene shortly after to provide support.
Driver Johan Hermosillo, 34, was the only occupant in the car during the time of the crash.
“Disregarding his own safety, a Beaverton police officer approached the burning vehicle, broke the sunroof and told Hermosillo to crawl from the vehicle,” the department said, adding that small explosions kept the officer from getting too close to the vehicle.
However, the officer observed that Hermosillo was unresponsive and decided to run to the vehicle and pull the driver out of the flames to safety.
“Due to the brave actions of the officer, Hermosillo sustained only non-life-threatening injuries,” the department said.
Police added that the rescue was yet another example of how officers “put their own lives on the line” to keep the public safe.
Investigators later found evidence that Hermosillo was under the influence at the time of crash; he was cited for a DUI and charged with reckless driving.