Officer

California Highway Patrol

8/15/2021

Special Act Award (Gold)

On the night of August 15, 2021, at 11:35 p.m., Officer Eric Jorgensen and his partner Officer Gustavo Ruvalcaba were on detail in the vicinity of State Route 140, when they heard a loud traffic crash. The officers immediately responded to the scene and found a truck on the shoulder of the road with major front-end damage and flames engulfing the engine compartment. Officer Jorgensen swiftly exited his patrol vehicle, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and ran towards the truck. For three minutes, Officer Jorgensen attempted to extinguish the flames while inhaling heavy smoke and extinguisher dust. As he attempted to extinguish the growing flames, he saw the male driver who appeared injured and trapped. Despite Officer Jorgensen using the entire contents of the fire extinguisher, the fire continued to grow. Meanwhile, Officer Ruvalcaba attempted to open the driver side door using a prybar with no success. Realizing the flames were spreading to the inside of the truck, Officer Jorgensen entered through the passenger side door at great risk to himself and disregard for his own safety. The male driver was pinned against the steering wheel, unable to get out on his own. Officer Jorgensen reached across the seat and began pulling him towards the passenger door, attempting to dislodge him from under the steering wheel while the flames rapidly increased in size. Officer Jorgensen successfully pulled the driver across the cab to the passenger door. A witness then assisted in pulling the driver completely out of the burning truck. Officer Jorgensen and the witness dragged him to a safe location and remained with him until a bystander, who was a nurse, stopped and rendered aid. The man suffered major injuries but survived the incident. The State of California takes great pride in presenting the Gold Medal of Valor to California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Jorgensen for his extraordinary act of heroism extending far above and beyond the normal call of duty.