VON ORMY, Texas — A Von Ormy Police sergeant survived a fiery crash over the weekend.
Sergeant John Fernandez was able to escape his burning police unit with only seconds to spare before the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames.
“I would have been burned alive. I would have not made it home if I did not get out of that vehicle,” said Fernandez.
Fernandez said he was on duty at around 3 a.m. Saturday morning and traveling down I-35 South when he came over a hill and saw headlights coming straight at him.
“The first thing I thought to myself was, ‘Oh no, I'm about to get hit by a wrong-way driver.'"
But the SUV wasn’t heading towards Fernandez at all. San Antonio Police officials said a man had abandoned his wrecked SUV in the main lanes of the freeway.
Fernandez said he tried to swerve to miss the SUV, but couldn’t avoid slamming right into it. The impact of the ensuing crash caused him to black out.
“I hit the guardrail, but then still hit him head-on,” Fernandez said. "When I woke up, I just remember seeing flames.”
Fernandez said the heat from the burning vehicle was getting closer when he realized he was trapped.
“I honestly thought to myself, 'If I stay in this car, I'm going to die,'" he said.
That’s when the five-year police veteran said his instincts kicked in.
“I keep a set of Leatherman medical shears on me—saved my life, (they) really did," he said. "I was able to cut my seat belt. It was tangled around my gear."
He said he was able to use the tool to cut through the inflated airbag, smash out the window and get out.
Fernandez escaped with only minor injuries.
“I would have been burned alive. I would have not made it home if I did not get out of that vehicle,” Fernandez said. “Someone was there with me that day.”
It was the second time someone else was watching over his department. In September of last year, Von Ormy Police Officer Veronica Lozano was hit by an alleged drunk driver off I-35 while she was tending to a stalled 18-wheeler.
Fernandez was on duty with Lozano that night.
“I just heard a crash and, just like I have told many people, my heart sank. I look back and I just see her laying on the floor in the middle of I-35,” said Fernandez.
Lozano survived. Fernandez said he’s just thankful to be alive after his own on-duty scare.
“I was not mentally prepared for that,” Fernandez said. “It was definitely a test of my will. We have a lot of guardian angels with us at our little city here."
SAPD said the man who allegedly abandoned his SUV on the freeway has been identified as Rudolph Henry Gonzales. He was arrested and charged with DWI.