Officer

California Highway Patrol

5/2/2023

Special Act Award (Gold)

On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at approximately 1:45 p.m., a female driver was traveling home southbound on Waukena Avenue, outside of Corcoran, when she began to feel dizzy. She thought the feeling would pass but it didn’t, and suddenly she lost consciousness behind the wheel. On-duty Officer Jose Benitez noticed the driver’s small blue vehicle beginning to weave slightly, but soon the weaving became more pronounced. As the driver approached an intersection, her vehicle suddenly veered to the left off the road, colliding with a power pole at approximately 55 miles per hour. The impact caused her vehicle to spin 360 degrees before slamming into an adjacent canal where the vehicle began to fill with water. Recognizing the life-threatening and dangerous situation, Officer Benitez immediately notified dispatch and requested emergency response. The vehicle was mostly submerged in the canal, and Officer Benitez could only see the rear window and taillights. Equipped with a crowbar, Officer Benitez climbed down onto the rear hatch of the vehicle and used the crowbar to smash open the right passenger window. He was then able to see the driver unconscious with her face down in the water. He called out to her several times, and eventually, she regained consciousness and began frantically screaming to Officer Benitez for help. He could see she was almost completely submerged, holding her head back to keep her mouth out of the water. Officer Benitez told the driver to remain calm and try not to move. His greatest fear at this point was the vehicle shifting and possibly becoming submerged even further. He asked if there were any other occupants, and she stated she was the only person. Officer Benitez climbed back up onto the bank and obtained a rope from an onlooker, tied it around his waist and told the bystanders to pull him back if he went under. Then, without hesitation or regard for his own safety, he fully entered the canal where he observed the driver’s window had been shattered during the initial impact. With the depth of the cold water approximately at his shoulders, he reached the driver’s door and confirmed her legs were not trapped. He instructed her to release her seatbelt. At that point, he grabbed underneath her arms and pulled her out of the window before assisting her to the bank of the canal where bystanders helped her onto dry land. Once on land, Officer Benitez learned the driver was five months pregnant. Officer Benitez further coordinated emergency response units and waited with the driver. Luckily, she suffered only minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The risks of Officer Benitez being swept under by the current of the canal or being trapped underneath the vehicle as he extricated the driver were very real and imminent possibilities. Officer Benitez displayed exceptional courage and unwavering devotion to duty. Fortunately, Officer Benitez was uninjured in the rescue. The driver described him as her “angel de la guarda,” which is Spanish for guardian angel. The State of California takes great pride in presenting the Gold Medal of Valor to California Highway Patrol, Officer Jose Benitez for his extraordinary act of heroism extending far above and beyond the normal call of duty.