Cop Rescues Driver in Fiery Crash

The fiery accident a local driver never should have survived

A San Diego police officer rushed to rescue a driver trapped inside a car engulfed in flames Tuesday.

The driver of a Chevy Impala at Clairemont Drive and Balboa Avenue had been knocked unconscious after an accident with a Chevy SUV.

The Impala had stalled in the roadway and was rear-ended by the SUV just before the Impala caught fire around 9:30 p.m. officers said.

San Diego police officer Dionisio Medina was driving past the intersection when he noticed the Impala on fire in the middle of the road.

Medina stopped, jumped out of his patrol car, broke a window and pulled the 20-year-old driver from the burning wreckage.

“Had this officer not acted as heroically as he did, this would've been a situation where the driver had he been rendered unconscious or maybe he was already unconscious as a result of the collision, would've likely perished," said Lt. David Rohowits.

It's unclear how long the driver was inside the burning car but he went to the hospital with minor injuries officers said.

The driver of the SUV was also taken to the hospital. Officer Medina suffered smoke inhalation. All involved are expected to be okay according to police. 

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