California Highway Patrol Officer

California Highway Patrol

9/2/1989

Special Act Award (Gold)

Officer Javier Rocha and Officer Hugo Olazar arrived at the scene of an accident in San Francisco at approximately 10:30 p.m. on September 2, 1989. They parked their patrol car on the shoulder of a freeway off-ramp. While they waited for a tow truck, a drunk driver slammed into the rear of their car. The impact jammed all four doors and cause the patrol car to erupt into flames. Officer Olazar was knocked unconscious: Officer Rocha tried to revive him, but was unsuccessful. As the patrol car filled with smoke and flames, Officer Rocha shot out the left front window and dove to safety. After escaping, Officer Rocha braved intense heat, flames, and smoke in continued attempts to rescue his partner, but the flames became too intense and he was forced to withdraw. Despite exhaustion and second and third degree burns, Officer Rocha removed the three occupants from the other vehicle because he feared that it too would catch fire.