A woman is alive a day after a fiery crash, thanks to a St. Joseph County police officer.

Corporal Rodney Wisser pulled the victim from her wrecked car late Saturday night, moments before it caught on fire.

Wisser says he was simply in the right place at the right time.

The accident happened on the U.S. 31 bypass near the State Road 2 exit.

Wisser was leaving another call when he noticed a truck with a plow that had its spotlight off the road. The light was focused on the fiery crash.

Wisser drove past the truck and spotted the crash. But because of the icy conditions, it was too late to stop his vehicle in time.

And that is when the officer of eight years had to go with his gut.

He had to choose between getting off the next exit and coming back, or taking a risk by driving on the shoulder, against traffic.

He took the risk and it paid off.

“It probably wasn't the safest thing, but it was the right thing to do," said Wisser.

Every second counted in this situation.

Wisser found the victim slumped over the airbag and tangled in her seatbelt. He got her out of the car seconds before the fire reached the front seats.

He says they were lucky that the fire didn't reach the nearby gasline.

The victim was driving from Michigan and trying to get back home to South Bend.

Police say speed and icy conditions seem to be factors in the accident.

St. Joseph County police posted photos of the crash on Facebook, and the post has nearly 100 comments thanking Corporal Wisser.

The Mishawaka Police Department also commended Corporal Wisser on Twitter, adding the hashtag 'hero' to their post.

Wisser said, "When you have something like this that happens, it just cements the fact that what you're doing is the right thing. So I enjoy my job. I love the people in this community."