MONROE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Chris Lejarzar was in the right place at the right time.
Lejarzar was in the Florida Keys when he saw a rollover car crash in the southbound lanes of U.S. 1, near Mile Marker 109.
Lejarzar was the first to respond, as a woman was trapped in a car.
“With the gasoline leaking, I was afraid it was going to catch fire, so we were trying to get her out at that point,” Lejarzar said.
Through the broken back window, he cut away one part of her seatbelt while the driver was able to cut the other.
Key Largo firefighters and paramedics also arrived.
“The first priority was to make sure the scene was safe to operate in,” said Key Largo Lt. Jason Mumper.
First responders soon realized the woman was still trapped by the fence that she had crashed into. A photo shows the black fence pole that impaled the car.
“She was obviously pretty injured. She was a very brave woman,” Lejarzar recalled.
After opening up the car using the jaws of life and cutting away some of the fence pole, Key Largo Lt. Fernando Garcia said he was able to climb in and pull the driver to safety.
“Once we made that access, I was able to crawl into the vehicle and work my way to the patient,” Garcia said. “It was intense, but we were able to eventually bring her out safely.”
The woman was airlifted to an area hospital and is recovering.
Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies and the Florida Highway Patrol were also on scene.
“It’s what you sign up for, to help people in that situation, hopefully what you did some good,” Lejarzar said.
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