Off-duty officer credited with saving man’s life

An off-duty Huntington Beach police officer is being recognized by his department for saving the life of a man involved in a car collision near Laguna Hills on Feb. 22.

Officer Frankie Choyeski was driving home after his shift around 4 a.m. on the southbound 5 Freeway near El Toro Road when he came upon a collision between a semi-truck and a four-door car, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department.

The car was pinned against the center divider and had caught on fire.

A uniformed Marine was attempting to free the trapped driver by breaking a window, and another passerby had a fire extinguisher, the department said. Choyeski said the driver told him his legs were pinned.

“The fire department had not yet arrived on scene, and Officer Choyeski knew if the man was not freed he would burn to death,” a department news release said.

After several attempts, Choyeski was able to pull the man out.

The driver was taken to a hospital with broken bones and smoke inhalation, according to the news release.

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Brittany Woolsey, brittany.woolsey@latimes.com

Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey

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