MISSION VIEJO : Deputy Recovering From Injuries After His Brush With Disaster

Two days after he was pulled from his cruiser before it burst into flames, Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Thompson said he couldn’t thank enough the two men who saved his life.

Thompson said he doesn’t remember the early morning crash near Laguna Hills Leisure World, but recalled the firefighter and county marshal who came to his aid. “I am just so grateful,” Thompson said Friday from his hospital room at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, where he is being treated for a broken left hip bone, a left arm broken in three places and rug burns on his forehead from his air bag. “Those guys saved my life and there just aren’t enough words to thank them.”

Nelson Joo, a City of Los Angeles firefighter from Aliso Viejo, and Kevin Leahy, an Orange County marshal from Laguna Hills pulled the deputy from his cruiser moments after the 5 a.m. accident.

“I don’t remember anything before the crash,” said Thompson, 33, the father of two young daughters. “The only thing I remember was afterward, the guys grabbing me along the ground away from the car and then hearing a couple of explosions.”

Leahy grabbed Thompson’s radio and called for help before the car burst into flames. The deputy was taken to the hospital where he underwent major surgery. On Thursday, Thompson was moved out of the intensive care unit and was listed in good condition.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident and plans to complete a report by Tuesday, CHP spokesman Mort Opittek said.

The deputy is not expected to return to work for several months.

“I’m really sore,” Thompson said. “I appreciate all the support from all my fellow deputies and all the people visiting and calling me.”