MESA, Ariz. — A Chandler police officer and an off-duty firefighter/paramedic are being credited with saving a woman’s life after a seven-car crash in Mesa left her trapped in a burning pickup truck, AZ Central reported.
Officer Brian Larison of the Chandler Police Department was on his way to work on Feb. 18 when he took an alternate route, putting him at the scene of the crash around 7 a.m., according to the report. A concrete mixer had rear-ended a Nissan pickup, causing it to overturn and catch fire.
Larison, a 20-year police veteran, rushed to the burning truck and used his baton to break the window, video shows. As he worked to free the driver, off-duty Peoria firefighter/paramedic Asa Paguia, who also was heading into work and happened to have his fire gear with him, arrived to assist.
Together, they pulled the woman, identified as Aymee Ruiz, through the window and away from the flames just moments before the fire spread to the truck’s cabin.
“I just happened to work an overtime shift the day before that, and it was a personal 10-hour shift, and so I went home after that 10-hour shift and had my gear with me,” Paguia told AZ Central. “We don’t always keep our gear with us unless we’re a rover or working overtime, so I’m really grateful that I happened to have that gear with me that day.”
Ruiz was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Both rescuers, who are also former Marines, said they were simply doing their jobs.
“Contract says payable with my life, if necessary,” Larison said. “That’s what we do.”
The crash remains under investigation, and it is unclear if the driver of the concrete mixer will face charges, according to the report.
Larison and Peoria reunited with Ruiz on Feb. 20 where she expressed gratitude to the first responders for saving her life.
“My heart felt full seeing their faces again. There’s really no words to describe it,” Ruiz said. “How do you say thank you like that? You know, what do you say? Like besides ‘thank you.’ There’s absolutely no words for it. What they did was heroic, courageous, brave, just insane, insane. So, seeing them again and on my two feet, and actually being able to say thank you and actually hug them feels great.”
