An Arizona State University student is speaking out after narrowly escaping death when she became trapped inside her burning car following a crash near Interstate 10—saved only after a police officer rushed into the flames to pull her free.
“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 encouraged me to stay positive and think of ways to get out.”
The incident unfolded in the early morning hours of May 25 near 91st Avenue and Interstate 10, when a Goodyear police officer came upon a multi-vehicle collision. One vehicle was fully 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 statement. Unable to escape on her own, Montgomery repeatedly sounded the horn in hopes someone would notice.
Officer Dakota Berry did.
Without hesitation, Berry smashed through the driver’s side window and pulled Montgomery from the vehicle. Police said he then worked to extinguish the flames, suffering serious burns before using a fire extinguisher to fully put out the fire.
“His courage and quick thinking undoubtedly saved a life that night,” the department said.
Montgomery, who was 18 at the time, was taken to a burn center in critical condition. Berry was also hospitalized for burn injuries but is expected to make a full recovery.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the crash occurred when a gray Honda SUV rear-ended a black Nissan passenger car, causing it to burst into flames. Four people were injured and transported to the hospital. The Honda driver was cited for failing to control the vehicle to avoid a collision.
Body-camera footage later released by Goodyear police captured the intensity of the fire and the urgency of the rescue.
Montgomery sustained burns on roughly one-third of her body and has undergone multiple surgeries, skin grafts, and physical therapy, KNXV reported. A GoFundMe campaign established to help cover medical expenses has raised about $52,000 as of Friday.
“She is only 18, full of life, ambition, and strength,” the fundraiser states. “She proudly finished her freshman year at ASU, with dreams 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.”
In a striking twist, Montgomery’s father is a Goodyear firefighter, police noted.
Despite the trauma, Montgomery says the experience has reshaped her future. She has since changed her major from physical therapy to psychology, hoping to help others process life-altering experiences.
“I want to be the person that people can talk to,” she told KNXV. “And also have the belief and faith that everything is going to be OK—because that’s what I kept wanting to know.”
Montgomery expressed gratitude to Officer Berry and credited her faith for helping her survive what she calls the most terrifying moments of her life.
