NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A good Samaritan who came to the rescue of a Miami-Dade Police officer who was trapped in a car damaged by a collision is speaking out.
“He said, ‘Pull me out,’ so I did what I had to do,” said Christopher Cummings.
Cummings came to the rescue of the officer, who was trapped in his cruiser after a gruesome crash. “It sounded like a bomb,” Cummings said.
Cummings has worked in Miami-Dade’s Solid Waste Management Department for almost two decades, but he says Tuesday will be a work day he’ll never forget.
Cummings said he was driving near Northwest 87th Street and 18th Avenue at around 10:30 a.m. when he saw the cruiser and another car collide.
“I see this car turning over, and there was an individual in this car, that was my brother and my sister, and my first instinct was to go,” Cummings said. “I reached in, put my arm and my hand around the bulletproof vest and pulled him up out of there.”
The officer was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital along with the other driver, 30-year-old Norbel Vargas.
Both were released Wednesday afternoon.
“This is the part what I bent right here, the door frame of the car,” Cummings showed as he pointed to a photo of the damaged cruiser.
The good Samaritan used his phone to capture pictures of the mangled metal — a souvenir to go along with one special story to tell his family and friends.
“He’s my hero, he’s my hero,” said Cummings’ wife, Irene.
Cummings said he isn’t looking for any special recognition, but he thanks God for being in the right place at the right time. In addition to Tuesday marking the heroic rescue, Cummings was also celebrating his birthday that very day.
Knowing the officer is OK is the best birthday Cummings said he could have asked for.
“I said, ‘Well, God gave me life on this day,’ and I was helping a life, you know?” Cummings said. “I just did what a normal human being would do.”
The name of the officer involved in the crash has not been released. However, police said the officer has been on the force for about a year.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.