40-year-old Betsayda Hernandez is in a wheelchair on Friday, recovering from a broken right leg and a bruised left leg. But not long ago, pinned between her car and a tree, she thought her injuries would be much worse.
“I [thought[ I'm going to lose my legs,” said Hernandez.
The packing house worker was in her driveway, about to run an errand, when a town car crashed into her. Her father shows how she was trapped between the door and the car, up against the neighbor's tree.
“What happened what happened? I started screaming, but everything happened so fast,” said Hernandez.
She says she asked the people who hit her for help, but they ran away. A neighbor called
Fresno Fire Captain Chad Tucker was called in to help organize a technical rescue. The chain around the tree first stabilized the car from rolling.
“Because she was kind of underneath the car, we needed to lift it and move it a special way, and so that's what these air bags allowed us to do,” said Chad Tucker, the Urban Search and Rescue Coordinator.
Airbags, the jaws and life and special cutting equipment freed Hernandez in less than 30 minutes.
“I was praying in the car. Thanks God everything was good,” said Hernandez.
She believes it's a miracle she's still here and thanks the firefighters for saving her. Tucker says knowing she's ok means everything.
“To see the minimal injuries that she had, it's pretty rewarding,” said Tucker.
Fresno Police are still looking for the hit and run suspects. If you have any information, call 498-STOP (7867).