Jason Schechterle is former Phoenix, Arizona police officer who was disfigured after a car crash in 2001. Jason was awarded a major cash settlement for his suffering from Ford Motor Company. In 2011, Jason was declared "fit for duty", which outraged his supporters.

After the accident Jason had to undergo over 50 surgeries since the burns affected more than 40% of his body.

Jason wrote a book about his recovery and his lawsuit against the Ford Motor Company called Burning Shield: The Jason Schechterle Story.

The Accident

Schechterle was stopped at a red light at North 20th Street and East Thomas Road when a taxicab rear-ended his squad car at a speed estimated at about 100 miles per hour.

The Ford Crown Vic that Schechterle was driving burst into flames, and his heroic extraction from the burning car by police and fire crews took about eight minutes.

The intense heat burned off much of Schechterle's skin and face, and doctors placed him in a medically induced coma for more than two months.

He was blind for about eight months, and his eyesight to this day is tenuous.

His face, neck, head, and hands are permanently disfigured.