Trooper saves woman pinned at tollbooth by her own car

HAMMOND, Ind. — An Indiana state trooper is being credited with saving a life, after spotting a woman pinned by her car while trying to pay at a toll booth

At the toll booth, for at least a moment, everything comes to a complete stop. "At that point in time, everything is moving a million miles an hour, and seconds matter," Trooper Ala'a Hamed told WBBM.

Just 20 minutes into his shift, Hamed had just seconds to save a life. "I observed a silver Buick SUV. It was diagonal in lane. It was pinned up against the toll booth and there was an unresponsive female in between the toll booth and driver side of the vehicle."

A 40-year-old woman pinned, as she tried paying for the toll. State police say she dropped her credit card and while retrieving it, she left the car in drive.

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"Initially I checked for a pulse to see what was there. I did not find one," said Hamed. "I knew I had to get her out." Other people jumped in to help as Hamed said, "I climbed into the vehicle from the passenger side. I got in driver seat. I slowly moved the vehicle as they were holding her so she wouldn't fall and sustain further injuries."

The woman had no pulse, and Hamed's training kicked in.  He grabbed his defibrillator and after chest compressions and CPR, there was finally a tiny pulse. "When you're bringing out the AED, it's the real deal," said Hamed. "When you get in these situations where it works, it's something you will never forget. It's a very rewarding experience."

The 40-year-old woman was airlifted to a hospital outside Chicago. She is expected to be OK because of a trooper who refused to waste a second.

CNN/WBBM