MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade rescue workers described Thursday how they were able to free a driver who lost control of his car and wrapped it around a palm tree Wednesday along Florida's Turnpike.
"We knew we were going to have to call more resources to help be able to get this patient out of the vehicle. So that's when we called the rest of our technical rescue team," said Maggie Castro, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
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Sky 10 was over the scene as first responders cut off the car's roof, giving them more space to try and remove the driver pinned inside.
The driver was conscious and talking the whole time.
"He was doing really great, actually. He was doing really well. We did have several guys, our paramedics, working on him, making sure we kept him calm and reassuring him that he was going to be OK, giving him medication as needed," Castro said.
Almost an hour later, the driver was pulled to safety, still alive and alert.
"He was answering some questions. He was talking to us. His vital signs were stable, as stable as they could be given the circumstances," Castro said.
Paramedics rushed him to Jackson South Medical Center for treatment. While his name and current condition have not been released, firefighters said there's no doubt he was fortunate to have survived.
"He's lucky that he's alive, definitely. Hopefully, he'll make a full recovery," Castro said.