MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - One of several Good Samaritans who raced to rescue a man and a woman involved in a crash along Interstate 75 opened up and shared his account of the tense moments.
The victims’ SUV ended up flipped onto its side on along the northbound lanes north of Miramar, Thursday afternoon.
Several people pulled over, got out of their vehicles and attempted to render aid. Among them were Luis Mercado and his cousin.
“When I got there already, she was just leaning against the side on the sunroof,” said Mercado. “When she turned around and looked at me, you know, she saw me, opened her eyes, and she had big bump in her head.”
The good Samaritan, who owns Empire Paving and Construction, said he and his cousin were coming back from a job.
“I was actually just, you know, the grace of God happened to be there at the right time,” said Mercado.
Mercado and his cousin were heading south. They didn’t witness the crash, but they couldn’t miss the SUV on its side headed north.
Mercado said the best option was to break the front windshield, so he and his cousin grabbed an ax and pickaxe and got to work.
“I always have all these tools, you know. I was seeing comments on social media, ‘Oh, but why, why didn’t you just open the door?’ I’m like, ‘The door was jammed,'” said Mercado.
Once the men smashed the windshield, cellphone video showed one of the passengers kicking the glass in an attempt to get out. The footage did not capture the moment when the man and woman safely exited the vehicle.
Mercado said he wasn’t looking for recognition.
“All I did, once I saw that they were already safe and they were out, I was like, ‘God bless you,’ and I just jumped into my vehicle, and I went about my way,” he said.
But Mercado added he would want someone to stop and help if he’s ever in a bind.
“I would want somebody else to also do the same thing, you know?” he said.
In addition to the bump on the woman’s head, it’s unclear if the victims suffered any other injuries. Authorities did not immediately respond to 7News’ request for more information.
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