TOLLESON, AZ — A woman rescued from her burning car on I-10 back in May by a Goodyear police officer is sharing her story for the first time, and about her long road to recovery.
“It’s just so scary to think I have these burns on me, and I don’t know how they’re going to heal, what I’m going to look like in the future," said Asharie Montgomery.
It was a morning that would change her life forever.
“I’ve never felt that kind of heat where it’s so hot that it feels cold, like ice cold," she said. “I didn’t want to die, so that already encouraged me to stay positive and think of ways to get out.”
Watch the full extended interview with Montgomery in the player below.
On May 25th, before the sun had even risen, a vehicle rear-ended then-18-year-old Montgomery as she was driving on I-10 near 91st Avenue.
“I just remember the impact happening. I don’t remember how the fire started, I just remember seeing it in my rear view mirror," said Montgomery.
It was a fire that was quickly burning closer and closer.
“It’s not so much I remember the heat, but the suffocating feeling.. like I couldn’t see, I couldn’t breathe,” she said.
You can see in body cam footage just how intense the flames got.
With her doors jammed and smoke filling her lungs, all Montgomery could do was lift up a prayer and start honking for help.
“I was like honking my horn because I didn’t know what else to do. I can’t break the window,” said Montgomery.
Turns out, that honking alerted nearby Goodyear police officer Dakota Berry, who sprang into action.
“I saw him coming and I was just like, relief. But I was still kind of scared,” said Montgomery.
Berry broke the window and pulled Montgomery out by her legs into safety, her hair was already on fire.
“I did have nightmares about the accident for a couple months, and I would sweat in my sleep and wake up yelling," she said.
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It has been more than six months since that harrowing day. But it is not over for Montgomery. Doctors say the flames burned a third of her body, mostly her left side. She has faced multiple surgeries, skin grafts, and physical therapy.
Everywhere she goes, Montgomery wears a full body suit that she says helps her burns heal. How she will heal is also causing a lot of anxiety.
“I feel scared, like I don’t know what people think of me when they’re seeing me," said Montgomery.
Despite the long road ahead, Montgomery says she thanks God to be alive and her rescuer for pulling her to safety.
And she wants to use her experience to help others; she has changed her major to psychology at ASU, hoping to be a voice for the hopeless. Her strength and determination are carrying her through.
“I want to be the person that people can talk to, 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," said Montgomery.
