LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - A Lauderhill Police officer is speaking out hours after he rendered aid to the victims of a crash that ended with two cars in flames, leaving one person dead and sending several others to the hospital.
Investigators said the incident occurred on the southbound lanes of Northwest 31st Avenue near Northwest 14th Street, at around 4:24 a.m. on Thursday.
Officers responded to a 911 call and found a crash involving a silver Chevrolet sedan and a blue Mercedes-Benz sedan.
Among them was Lauderhill Police Officer Jason Reyes. Video from his body camera captures him running toward the scene.
Witnesses said they heard a loud noise, comparing the sound to a bomb. One person said the incident looked like “pure chaos.”
Live video footage showed glass and debris scattered on the street, with evidence markers all over the crash site.
Footage from the scene showed the Mercedes engulfed in flames, with firefighters rescuing a woman from the burning vehicle.
Paramedics transported the driver of the Chevrolet, 50-year-old Darell Walker, to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators said three adults who were in the Mercedes were also transported to BHMC with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Surveillance video from a nearby convenience store showed the Chevrolet traveling north on 31st Avenue as it attempted to turn, when suddenly, the blue Mercedes slammed into the sedan. Upon impact, both cars erupted in flames and pushed down the block.
One witness described how the manager at a nearby convenience store rushed to both cars to try to help.
“The guy who works here, he ran into the store, got the fire extinguisher,” said a witness. “He was [using the extinguisher] but the [fire] wouldn’t go out.”
The manager told 7News he didn’t realize at first just how bad the accident was.
“And then he said, ‘There’s two more people in the car,'” said the manager. “So I run back into the store, go in the kitchen and grab a fire extinguisher. Run back out, and I tried to help the officer that was there.”
The manager said he didn’t think twice about grabbing a fire extinguisher.
“If it was me, that’s what I would want somebody else to do,” he said.
Reyes’ bodycam captures him and the store manager trying to extinguish the flames.
“Is there anybody else inside?” said Reyes.
The officer, who is an Army veteran, served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he has experience in high-pressure situations, but he was not sure what he would find in this incident.
“If there was anybody inside the vehicle, that’s priority number one,” said Reyes.
On the bodycam video, Reyes and the store manager were seen desperately tried to douse the flames.
“Here give me that [fire extinguisher],” said Reyes to the store manager.
“There’s two people in there, one more,” said the manager.
“Hey, I got flames coming out the back. Anybody in there?” said Reyes.
The officer knew that with people still trapped inside the Mercedes, time was of the essence to put the fire out.
“I wanted to take [the extinguisher] from him and kinda get him away from the scene a bit — you know, public safety first — and once I heard there were two subjects still inside the car, we actually located where they were, ’cause the flames were kind of spreading,” said Reyes. “Gas, flames, not a good combination, you know, and then there’s the van next to it also, so you’re kind of on limited time.”
When firefighters arrived and started dousing the fire, Reyes was able to get closer to the cars.
Bystanders could see him using his baton to break a window to free the driver of the Mercedes.
“The driver of the Mercedes is coming out, it’s a female,” said Reyes.
“He actually dragged someone out of the car,” said the store manager. “He’s a bigger hero than me.”
The fire was put out, but smoke and heat were still present. The officer focused on the task of moving the victims out of the car.
“I didn’t feel the heat, but I knew it was hot,” said Reyes. “So I guess kind of being in the moment. There’s a lot of things that run through your mind at the time, but right now it’s signs of life and saving everybody you can.”
One of the three people transported to the hospital has been released. The other two remain in the hospital.
In a separate incident, a crash in Miami’s West Little River neighborhood damaged the New Solid Rock M.B. Church. Two vehicles smashed into the side of the building, causing significant damage.
Back in Lauderhill, traffic homicide investigators and crime scene investigations remained on the scene for hours as they continued their investigation.
As of Friday, the conditions of those that were injured remain unknown.
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