An Arizona State University student is opening up about the terrifying moments she was trapped inside her burning car before a police officer pulled her to safety.
“I’ve never felt that kind of heat, where it’s so hot that it feels cold, like ice cold,” Asharie Montgomery told ABC affiliate KNXV. “I didn’t want to die, so that already encouraged me to stay positive and think of ways to get out.”
The crash happened in the early morning hours of May 25, when a Goodyear police officer came upon a multi-vehicle collision near 91st Avenue and Interstate 10 and saw one car completely engulfed in flames.
“Inside that burning vehicle, a lone female driver was honking her horn, desperately signaling for help,” the Goodyear Police Department said in a news release at the time. “Without hesitation, our officer sprang into action. Smashing through the driver’s side window, he pulled the woman, whose hair was on fire, from the vehicle.”
The officer then worked to put out the flames.
“He courageously worked to extinguish the flames, sustaining serious burns in the process, before finally using a fire extinguisher to douse the remaining fire,” the department added.
The driver, later identified as Montgomery, who was 18 at the time, was rushed to a burn center in critical condition. The officer was also treated for burns but was expected to fully recover.
“His courage and quick thinking undoubtedly saved a life that night,” officials said.
In her interview with KNXV, Montgomery recalled that her car was allegedly rear-ended by another vehicle, which she says sparked the fire. Police body camera footage released by the department shows flames pouring from her car as the officer rushes in to help.
Trapped inside, Montgomery used the only tool she felt she had in that moment — her horn.
“I was like honking my horn because I didn’t know what else to do. I can’t break the window,” she told KNXV.
That’s when Officer Dakota Berry reached her car and pulled her out.
Montgomery suffered burns over about a third of her body, primarily on the left side, according to KNXV. She has undergone multiple surgeries, skin grafts and intensive physical therapy. A GoFundMe fundraiser was created to help cover her medical costs and support her recovery, and as of Friday, the campaign had raised about $52,000.
“She is only 18, full of life, ambition, and strength,” the fundraiser description reads. “Just this year, she proudly finished her freshman year at ASU, with dreams and goals of pursuing a career as a physical therapist. Those dreams now have to be put on hold as we focus on the most important mission — her healing.”
Adding to the emotional weight of the situation, Montgomery’s father is a Goodyear firefighter, the police department noted.
Montgomery says she is deeply grateful to Officer Berry and to God for her survival. She also shared that she has changed her major at ASU from physical therapy to psychology, hoping to support others who are struggling after trauma.
“I want to be the person that people can talk to,” she says, “like a therapist, about anything their hearts desire, and also have the belief and faith that everything is going to be OK because that’s what I kept wanting to know, like is everything going to be OK.”
