The woman says she was at the mercy of whoever was going to save her. Fortunately for her, Spokane police officer Tim Schwering took the call.
Last month, Kim Novak, a Navy veteran from Spokane, Washington, was driving down an icy road when all of a sudden all the electronics in her car stopped and her engine turned off all by itself. However, this was just the start of her ordeal. Only moments later, thick black smoke began to emerge from beneath the hood and hot flames soon followed. The woman tried everything from calmly trying to escape the death trap to frantically kicking the doors and windows of her vehicle. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work.
Kim soon dialed 911 and alerted authorities about her situation. The dispatcher tried to offer suggestions, but the woman explained that nothing worked. She told reporters she was unsure whether the flames or the smoke were going to get to her.
Fortunately, not far from where Kim Novak was, Spokane Officer Tim Schwering was patrolling the streets, working his usual graveyard shift when he heard about the incident of the police radio. He told local reporters he decided to take that call and rushed to the woman’s aid. He arrived at the scene in a matter of minutes where he discovered the woman trapped in the burning car in the middle of the road. According to his statement, the engine compartment caught fire and was completely engulfed in hot flames.
Footage pulled from the officer’s body camera shows Tim Schwering as he took out his baton and started pounding on the car’s window until it broke. However, he was unable to open the driver’s door from the inside, as the electric system was damaged. So, he had to do an opening big enough for the woman to climb out of the car through the window. And so he did, with his hands. Only moments later, he and another bystander were able to pull the woman from the burning vehicle and take her to safety.
“I grab an arm, a neighbor grabs an arm, and we pull her out of the car and drag her to the ambulance”, recalled Tim Schwering.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. However, both the woman, as well as the Spokane police officer were treated for smoke inhalation as a precaution. Also, an investigation has been launched regarding the sudden malfunctioning of the car’s electric system.
Image Source: Youtube
