A woman stuck inside a flaming automobile on an interstate in west Phoenix was rescued by an officer who happened to be driving by and broke the glass in her window.
The rescue occurred early Saturday morning, as Officer Dakota Berry returned to his duty in nearby Goodyear after booking a suspect in a county jail. When Berry witnessed the two-vehicle incident on Interstate 10, he heard honking from the burning car and realized someone was inside.
He dashed to his patrol SUV to retrieve a glass-breaking tool, then returned across the interstate to the woman’s car, where he used the equipment to punch many holes in the driver’s side window. Her feet then popped out.
“Get out, get out, get out,” Berry commanded. The woman, whose hair was on fire, is heard crying. The officer seized her legs and pushed her through the smashed glass.
She was taken in serious condition to a burn facility and is likely to survive. Berry, who attempted to put out the fire with his hands before using an extinguisher, had a hand injury during the rescue.
She is the daughter of a Goodyear fireman. “As ironic as that is, I would have done the same thing for anyone else, any community member,” Berry told reporters on Wednesday. Berry, according to authorities, set out flares on the interstate after the woman was rescued from the flaming car to prevent more collisions.
Reference: Officer Rescues Woman From Burning Car in Aftermath of Interstate Crash in Phoenix
