MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida firefighter has been released from the hospital after getting injured while responding to a deadly crash.
Miami firefighter Javier Corrales is back at home recovering after he was discharged from the Ryder Trauma Center, Tuesday.
His injuries stemmed from a deadly crash involving a City of Miami Fire vehicle that took place on Saturday, just before 2 a.m.
Corrales said he doesn’t remember anything about the crash.
“I remember getting to the scene and then I remember getting to the trauma center,” he said. “I don’t remember anything.”
Corrales and another firefighter were helping a driver out of their vehicle along Interstate 95, near 62nd Street, when an SUV driving by lost control before hitting a firetruck and then the two first responders.
“Because of the rain and the conditions and everything else, that’s still under investigation,” said Miami Fire Rescue Chief Craig Radelman. “The other car lost control, crashed into both our rescue truck and our firetruck, and in the process, hit two of our guys.”
James Villa, a student at Christopher Columbus High School, was killed in the crash.
“Always made everyone laugh. He was always happy, making jokes,” said Villa’s classmate Kevin Portal.
Meanwhile, 7News crews were there as Corrales was greeted by family and friends after he was released from the hospital, Tuesday afternoon.
“You never think something like this will happen to you,” Corrales said.
He is in some pain but said he’s lucky to be alive.
His wife, Yuliet Corrales, said the crash was her worst nightmare. “You get a phone call at 3 o’clock in the morning telling you that something has happened to your husband,” she said. “All these thoughts going through your head: making sure, you know, he’s going to make it through, that our kids are going to be OK, that he’s going to be OK, that he’s going to be with us. So it was very rough.”
Corrales was transported to the Ryder Trauma Center with severe injuries and stayed in the hospital for days.
He believes he wouldn’t have made it without help from the fire department.
“The support that I have, obviously, first from my family, my wife, she’s been here with me from the beginning, and then from all the guys,” Corrales said as he got emotional. “This fire department is the best. Just watching the guys come and being there for me, there’s nothing like the brotherhood that this fire department has. There’s nothing like it.”
Corrales is looking forward to returning to work as soon as he can.
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