LIVERMORE — The Livermore Patch details a story about the response of heroic CHP officers –
“Two California Highway Patrol officers who pulled a driver from her burning car after she crashed in Livermore early Sunday morning are being hailed as “true heroes.”
Just before 1 a.m., the 27-year-old Livermore resident ran off the road near Raymond and Dagnino roads, according to Dublin CHP Area Commander Captain Christopher Sherry. Sherry said the car’s engine was engulfed in flames when officers arrived and the fire quickly spread to the dry brush on the nearby hillside.
Officer Samuel Garcia-Zepeda found a woman with major injuries in the driver’s seat. Sherry said the woman was intoxicated and could not get out of the car after she crashed.
Garcia-Zepeda pulled the driver to the safety of a dirt embankment as Officer Luis Toris used a fire extinguisher to douse some of the flames.
Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department crews arrived to help extinguish the blaze and the woman was taken by ambulance to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. Garcia-Zepeda injured his ankle during the dramatic rescue. He is expected to recover.
“I am very proud of Officers Garcia-Zepeda and Toris,” Sherry said. “Their bravery and willingness to risk their lives is honorable. These officers lived up to their sworn oaths as a public protectors. Had it not been for Officers Garcia-Zepeda and Toris, the driver would have been trapped in her burning vehicle, possibly dying. They are true heroes.”
The CHP said the woman, whose name was not released, is suspected of driving under the influence and investigators will be submitting the case to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.”
