One of Alfonso Rodriguez's first thoughts as he climbed into a flaming car to rescue a motorist who had crashed on Highway 101 was: Why am I climbing into a flaming car?

Followed by: I better hurry up.

Rodriguez recalled the moment after he and his 14-year-old son received a commendation from the California Highway Patrol on Friday. The two had worked to free a San Francisco man from a car engulfed in flames on March 13, moments after it spun out on northbound Highway 101 near the Interstate 280 interchange.

Rodriguez was driving with his three children to attend San Francisco's St. Patrick's Day parade that Saturday, an afternoon jaunt from their San Jose home.

"The kids had cabin fever," Rodriguez said. "Thought I'd take them to the city for the afternoon, have some fun."

As he neared the I-280 exit traffic slowed and Rodriguez saw a Chevy Cavalier on the right shoulder facing him, gasoline trickling from its side and smoke rising from the trunk and windows.

Rodriguez saw the driver rocking forward and back in his seat, trapped by his seat belt.

"I remember getting out of the truck," Rodriguez said. "Then everything kind of got silent."

The driver's side was pinned against a cement barrier. Rodriguez tried to open the passenger's door, but it was locked. As the flames inside grew, he started pounding on the passenger side window, then tried to kick it in.

No luck.

Inside Rodriguez's truck, his 14-year-old son, who is also named Alfonso, saw his dad's failing attempts. He recalled his father kept a tool bag in the cab and he grabbed a combination wrench.

Rodriguez smashed the window but the driver, Anthony Lavelle, was unresponsive.

"I could smell the car burning up," Rodriguez said, "and hear the fire crackling around me."

Rodriguez reached inside to unlock the driver's seat belt, but it would not release.

He climbed into the car, feet hanging out the window, while his son held onto his legs.

Why am I climbing into a flaming car?

I better hurry up.

Rodriguez released the seat belt and grabbed Lavelle by his arms. His son pulled him out by the legs.

By then, other motorists had stopped. They helped Rodriguez lay Lavelle on the side of the freeway and pat him down - he was still on fire.

The younger Rodriguez said Lavelle looked like a ghost. "The flesh on his arm was almost pure white. He wasn't saying anything."

Lavelle, 31, had been on his way to his South of Market home from his job as the director of security at the Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel in Menlo Park.

It's still a mystery why Lavelle crashed. Because there were no witnesses, one theory holds that he was cut off by a driver and spun out. Another is that he blacked out. He's not sure.

Lavelle's left side had suffered third-degree burns. At the hospital, his left hand was amputated. He remained in a drug-induced coma for 2 1/2 months, and when he awoke, he learned of the severe scarring on the left side of his face.

Lavelle, reached at his mother's Antioch home where he's recuperating, said he's spoken to Rodriguez on the phone and is anxious to meet him in person.

"I told him I already apologize in advance because I'll be giving him the biggest hug I've given anyone," Lavelle said. "I want to thank him for giving me a second chance in life."