By Lyndsay Winkley
The San Diego Union-Tribune
ENCINITAS, Calif. — A sheriff’s deputy pulled a woman from a smoking car right before it erupted in flames in Encinitas early Sunday.
Deputy Steve Gusman was headed north on Manchester Avenue when he saw what he thought was a cloud of fog rolling in off the ocean near the San Elijo Lagoon about 1:20 a.m. As he got closer, he realized it was smoke, a sheriff’s official said.
He turned around, pulled over and started searching for its source. On the south side of Manchester, Gusman found a Honda Civic that looked as if it had recently gone off the side of the roadway.
Smoke had filled the car and there was a red glow coming from its underside. Then he heard a woman’s voice.
Gusman rushed to car and the driver, who appeared to be in shock, told him she couldn’t move. He opened the door, put her over his shoulder and carried her up the embankment.
Soon after, flames engulfed the car.
“If not for the actions of Deputy Gusman, the occupant would have been severely injured or perished at the scene,” said Deputy David Rosenthal.
The driver, a 54-year-old woman, wasn’t injured and was later booked into jail on suspicion of driving drunk. Gusman was treated for smoke inhalation.