California Highway Patrol Officer

California Highway Patrol

6/27/1985

Special Act Award (Gold)

At 5:30 a.m. on June 27, 1985, two truck and trailer combinations collided on northbound Interstate 5 north of the Westley on-ramp. One of the vehicles was leaking liquid hazardous waste. As Officer Moraga was attempting to clear the roadway, two other large trucks collided near the first accident. One of the trucks broke in half and exploded in a ball of flames. The officer was knocked to the ground by the explosion, injuring his knee, and narrowly escaping incineration in burning diesel fuel. Despite his injury, Officer Moraga approached the demolished truck cab with its sleeping compartment ablaze, expecting to find the driver dead. Instead, the trucker was alive, but pinned down by the steering column. Despite the great heat from the burning cab and the danger of another explosion, Officer Moraga and a citizen tried to free the trapped driver. Finally their efforts were successful, but the shocked trucker just lay on the ground, unwilling to move. Officer Moraga screamed at the driver “Get up or we are all going to die where we stand!” The trucker struggled to his hands and knees and all three men made it to safety.