Woman Pulled From Fiery Wreck Near Livermore, Another Driver Injured

LIVERMORE, CA — One woman was hospitalized with critical injuries after she was pulled from the scene of two separate crashes in near Livermore on Wednesday, authorities said Saturday.

Around 2:47 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers responded to the crash, which was blocking the fast lane of I-580 westbound, just east of North Livermore Avenue.

Officers later determined that two separate crashes occurred. The first collision involved a woman who crashed into a concrete wall, causing her Toyota Camry to come to rest in the fast lane. The woman then exited her vehicle and was standing next to it when a Nissan Altima approached in the fast lane, the CHP said.

The vehicle crashed into the Camry and the woman, "forcefully" knocking her to the ground. The Camry then became engulfed in flames.

Arriving officers found an unconscious woman with "major trauma" laying between the two vehicles.

"CHP Officer Abel Moran and Sergeant Michael Thomas fought through intense smoke and heat to rescue the woman," officials wrote in a statement.

"I am very proud of Officer Moran and Sergeant Thomas. Their bravery and willingness to risk their lives is honorable. These officers lived up to their sworn oaths as a public protectors. Had it not been for their quick thinking and actions, the woman could have been injured further, possibly dying; they are true heroes," said Dublin Area Commander, Captain Christopher Sherry.

She was laying "dangerously close" to the burning vehicle when officers grabbed her arms and pulled her 20 feet from the wreckage.

She was given CPR by Moran with the assistance of an off-duty physician assistant.

The woman was transported to Eden Hospital with suspected critical injuries, officials said. The other driver suffered minor injuries.