NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Two good Samaritans sprang into action after an out-of-control driver slammed into a bus stop in Northeast Miami-Dade, igniting a fire.
Gustavo Ponce found himself running for his life, then returning to save another, while waiting for a bus at 1700 NE 185th St. to take him to work, early Saturday morning.
“He hit the bus bench. If I didn’t run, I could have [gotten killed],” he said.
The fiery wreck trapped the driver inside his white sedan.
Meanwhile, witness Abel Ramos heard the crash and called 911, initially unaware someone was inside the burning vehicle.
“After three to five minutes, the guy who was driving, he woke up, and he started to get out through the window, that type of thing,” he said. “Immediately, when we saw that there was somebody alive, we tried to get him out.”
Ramos said the driver smelled of alcohol, but Miami-Dade Police have not confirmed whether alcohol was a factor.
7News cameras showed the driver, his face bloodied, interacting with officers at the scene. He seemed disoriented and wobbly on his feet.
The crash caused both the car and the bus stop to catch fire, destroying both. Debris smashed the window of a restaurant.
Miami-Dade firefighters were later seen removing shards of glass from the scene.
The two men who briefly put their safety aside to save a driver in a dangerous situation said they’re glad it didn’t end differently.
“It was going to explode. I was in the Army, so I did my time,” said Ponce. “I will go to save somebody’s life. That’s all. Thank God he’s alive.”
Ramos offered a word of warning.
“Nowadays, there’s no excuse for getting into these types of accidents if you can just take an Uber or a Lyft,” he said.
Paramedics transported the driver to the hospital in unknown condition. It remains unclear whether he will face charges.
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