LOS ANGELES (KNX) - One hero saving another. Our KNX hero of the week is a good Samaritan who pulled a California Highway Patrol officer from a burning patrol vehicle with just seconds to spare.
Hector Gonzalez of Norwalk was in the right place at the right time, back in April. When a crash on the 105 Freeway in Downey had occurred right in front of him, he quickly jumped into action and saved the life of an injured CHP officer trapped inside a burning vehicle.
In an exclusive interview with KNX News, Hector says he saw patrol lights up ahead - but something didn't feel right.
"I get closer and closer, and I see pretty much chaos," he recalled.
He soon discovered a suspected drunk driver had smashed into a CHP vehicle while it was parked on the side of the road, tending to a separate incident.
Hector first saw an officer seriously injured lying on the road, so he and other good Samaritans rushed in to help.
Hector ran to the damaged cruiser - where he found two more officers inside the wreckage.
"I start looking around the car and notice there's gas everywhere," he said.
Hector pulled the trapped, injured CHP officer out of the car just as it was busting into flames, saving the man's life.
"I don't know if it was the human instinct to protect each other, but I grabbed him and dragged him about five feet away from the car, and we watched the car just melt," Hector recalled.
Hector said he is just glad no one died despite some severe injuries.
Listen to Hector recount the details of his extraordinary act of heroism in the exclusive KNX interview above.
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