Deputy Saves Woman Trapped in Blazing Car

The only thing that Sheriff’s Deputy Dale Ryken could see were the flames that engulfed the young woman jammed inside her car. As another officer tried to extinguish the blaze engulfing the Volkswagen Jetta, Ryken moved quickly to cut 24-year-old Jung W. Ko out of the driver’s seat, where flames were lapping at her neck and arms.

Ryken was hailed Monday as a hero whose rapid response put a happy ending on a potentially tragic story.

“He saved her life,” said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Willie Godinez, who arrived at the scene after the rescue.

Ko was listed in serious condition later Monday at the burn unit of Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Officials said the Torrance woman suffered second- and third-degree burns to her arms, face and neck.

Ko had been driving on the Artesia Freeway in Gardena early Monday when a motorist being pursued by Los Angeles police smashed into the back of her car, sending the vehicle spinning before it stopped against a guardrail.

When Ryken and partner Tim Cooper arrived seconds later, they found the car in flames. To their horror, a woman was still inside.

“Her arms, face, clothing was being burned away,” Ryken said. “She was in and out of consciousness. She was disoriented. . . . She was screaming and moaning and struggling to get out.”

Ryken and Cooper tried to open the driver’s door, but it was jammed. As they attempted to pry the door open, the driver’s window shattered. Ryken was able to reach in and cut Ko’s seat belt with a knife he carries on duty.

However, cutting the seat belt did not free Ko. Her legs were still trapped by the steering column. With the help of a Los Angeles police officer who had been involved in the chase, the two sheriff’s deputies tugged at the young woman to free her.

“The whole time this was going on, it was getting hotter and the flames were spreading,” Ryken said. “There was gasoline leaking and spreading around us. The heat was incredible.”

Once Ko was free, Ryken used his experience as an emergency medical technician to treat her burns until an ambulance arrived.

“It was scary,” Ryken said. “I could hear people saying, ‘Get away from the car,’ but I couldn’t get away.”

This was the second time in about three weeks that Ryken rescued someone from a burning car. The deputy was on his way to work March 20 when he came upon an accident that occurred after two cars had been racing on the Golden State Freeway. One car crashed, tossing the driver out of the vehicle. But a passenger remained in the backseat of the burning car. Ryken pulled him to safety.

The driver that authorities accuse of causing the accident early Monday, David Henry Contreras, 34, of San Pedro, was arrested by the CHP on charges of felony driving under the influence, evading officers and causing injury to another. He was booked at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Parker Center, with bail set at $30,000.

The high-speed chase started about 12:40 a.m., when Contreras’ Ford Explorer failed to stop at a stop sign, authorities said. Officers attempted to stop the motorist in Wilmington, but he sped up, Los Angeles Police Sgt. Vic Dennis said.

At speeds that reached more than 80 mph, officers pursued the driver, calling for a second unit and a police helicopter to aid in the chase that proceeded north on Alameda Street. The pursuit continued for 18 miles on surface streets and for seven miles on the Artesia Freeway before Contreras’ car hit the back of Ko’s vehicle just east of Vermont Avenue, officials said.

Correspondent Tracy Johnson contributed to this story.