PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - A baseball player who made a brave save off the field in Plantation spoke out about the heart-stopping moments when he and other good Samaritans came to a driver’s rescue.
Speaking with 7News on Thursday, good Samaritan Caleb Martos said he and a friend were doing field drills when they heard a crash and sprang into action to help the driver.
A transformer exploded after the car crashed into a power pole on Sunrise Boulevard, Tuesday afternoon. The vehicle erupted in flames moments later.
“All of a sudden we hear a smack, and we turn around and we see the car had hit the back of another car, and then kept flying through this red light,” said good Samaritan Caleb Martos, “and then it flew through the red light and it smacked into the electrical pole, and then we just saw and explosion happening.”
Martos, a baseball player at the University of Fort Lauderdale, was practicing with his team at Plantation High School’s field.
Martos said he, his friend Duval Rodriguez and a coach ran to help.
“That’s when I hopped the fence, and I started running, and I ran to the car and I got over there, and there was another explosion,” said Martos.
Cellphone video showed the players attempting to get the driver, 63-year-old Charles Sedner, out of the car. The motorist was unconscious.
“I was trying to open up the door, but there were wires everywhere, and an explosion happened again once we were right next to the car,” said Martos, “so when the guy was passed out in his car, and we were knocking and nothing was happening, then we saw a small fire near the engine start up. We really had to get him out of the car.”
Sedner’s family said he suffered a medical emergency that caused him to lose control and crash into the pole.
“I turned around, and this woman had a bat. I never got her name, but she handed me this bat, and I ended up breaking a window and then reaching my hand inside and unlocking the car,” said Martos. “Three other guys came in, and they grabbed that guy and pulled him out of the car. A minute after they laid him on the grass, that whole car caught flames.”
The driver’s family is grateful for everyone who helped and thanked the players.
“I want to thank them for their courage and their quick response, for helping my father out of that vehicle, because it could have been a lot, lot, lot worse,” Brian Charles said over the phone. “On behalf of my father, the whole Charles family, we want to thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Martos said he is just happy to have helped, and credits his faith for guiding him to run toward Sedner’s car, adding he does not believe in coincidences.
“That happened exactly how it was supposed to happen. Jesus put me and those other people in that situation to help the man and save his life,” said Martos. “I pray that Jesus heals him, and I’m thankful that he’s still alive and that he is still on this earth to walk more days.”
Sedner remains in the intensive care unit and faces a long road to recovery. He suffered a shattered ankle, a fractured rib and a fractured pelvic bone.
Martos and his friends said they are going to start a GoFundMe page to help Sedner outfit his home to make the recovery process a little easier.
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