Fresno County deputies honored for heroic act

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) — Two deputies with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office were honored at an award ceremony after saving a woman’s life. 

Victoria Short is lucky to be alive after two deputies with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office saved her from a car crash last summer.

“I was fortunate enough to survive and that wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for them… they truly were heroes that day,” Short said.

Deputies Ronald Wells and Timothy Chang received an iPhone notification that a crash was detected on Highway 180 and 245.

They say at first, there was no sign of the crash.

“There’s a very steep cliff on one side, and we didn’t see anything on the road. So we started to assume the worst,” Wells said.

“It just didn’t feel right. And so I parked my car, got out on the roadway and actually walked it,” Chang said.

Thats when Chang found dirt kicked onto the roadway.

“I looked down, I heard music down the hill, I heard music. I saw a clear white patch which ended up being the car,” Chang said.

Deputy Wells using a drone, found Short, fighting for her life.

“If we just didn’t go that little, take that extra step, who knows what could have happened,” Wells said.

Wells and Chang received the “Official Commendation Achievement” Award for their heroic effort to save Short’s life and didn’t expect to see her at the ceremony.

“It’s always nice to see the result of your work and to have a positive outcome,” Chang said.

“It truly was like a miracle that they were even able to find it,” Short said.